Authors: Calum Chace
As Vic left the room Matt began to feel queasy as the sound of the door closing seemed to be slightly prolonged. As if it was being locked.
His impression was confirmed when Vic returned two or three minutes later: he definitely heard the door being unlocked before it opened. Matt’s unease increased when he saw that Vic was accompanied by a military colleague. Vic introduced the man as Colonel Norman Hourihan of the US Army. He was an imposing figure, well over six feet tall, with a powerful physique, piercing blue eyes and a crew cut. His uniform looked not so much laundered as moulded.
Matt realised that a wave of panic must be showing on his face, and scrambled to recover his dignity.
‘What’s going on? I didn’t realise you worked for the military, Vic? Is there a problem?’
Norman chuckled. ‘Just because I’m a soldier doesn’t mean I’m a bad guy, Matt.’ His voice had an avuncular tone, although this barely registered with Matt given the state of his nerves.
Vic sat down in his chair, looking ill-at-ease, and Norman pulled up another to sit alongside Matt. Matt felt sure that his cover was blown. He fought the urge to shrink back into his chair.
‘Norman is my liaison officer from the US Army,’ Vic explained. He seemed uncomfortable, and as he spoke, Matt wondered whether he was talking to cover his unease.
‘My company receives funding for our AI work from a number of government departments, including DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. You probably know that DARPA was set up in response to the shock which Sputnik caused in the US, and that it essentially created the internet, along with a lot of other really cool stuff. I used to work in
military research – mainly cyber-security – before
setting up my own company, so I’m comfortable with the military mindset.
‘I had lengthy discussions with Norman and several
of his colleagues before we went into business together. One of my conditions for working with them on machine intelligence was that that when the time was right we would share the tech with the rest of the world. I told them that if they didn’t, we could end up making the US a pariah nation. It didn’t take a great deal of persuasion for them to agree to my terms, and so I signed up with them as partners.
‘And I’m really glad I did. I probably don’t know everything that the military is up to with regard to machine intelligence, but I think I know about their most advanced projects. Their resources are formidable. We’re supervised by the Strategic Technology Office, and I have a high level of clearance. The organisation I run was no mean outfit before I teamed up with Norman and his pals, so I like to think that if the US Army does turn out to be the first institution to build an artificial general intelligence, there will be a well-informed and well-connected civilian organisation standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them and making sure they don’t go off in all sorts of unhealthy directions.
‘Norman and his colleagues have been incredibly
helpful. Not only with money, but with contacts, technologies, advice, and of course intelligence.
Which brings us to our friend Ivan, and to you, Matt.’
Matt, expecting to be told any minute that he had been exposed, had been finding this little speech increasingly surreal. His tension rose as he thought Vic was finally getting to the point. Here we go, he thought. Is this leading towards an extraordinary rendition? Is that why Vic brought me to the US Embassy? Or are they just going to kill me here and now? His blood ran cold as he wondered just how brazen the US government could be. He had avoided his mother as much as possible since returning from Ivan’s ship, and as he set off for London he had simply told her that he had a meeting with another AI research organisation in London. He hadn’t spoken to Leo since his return from Ivan’s ship, and he had said nothing to Alice or Carl. No-one knew where he was. No-one could come to rescue him.
‘You present us with a bit of a problem, Matt, and I’m afraid I have some bad news for you,’ Vic continued. ‘I’m afraid we’re going to have to keep you here for a little while. The problem is with Ivan rather than with you, but we’re going to have to proceed very carefully.’
Vic, clearly uncomfortable, and starting to become flustered, looked away from Matt and towards Norman.
‘Oh dear, I’m no good with this sort of thing. Norman, would you mind. . .?’
Norman looked relieved that Vic had finally stopped talking. He picked up the story smoothly and efficiently. Clearly it was not Norman’s first time with this ‘sort of thing’.
‘What exactly is your relationship with Ivan, Matt?’
Norman’s voice was not hostile, but it commanded respect. It was freighted with self-control, and it was obvious that Norman was used to being obeyed. Matt did not want to argue with this man. He spoke rapidly, nervously.
‘Like I told Vic, Ivan hired me because he was interested in the work my father did. But I only met him once. I just worked at one of his offices for a couple of weeks, that’s all. I wasn’t comfortable there, so I was looking for another organisation to join. I learned a few things about the way Ivan’s team does their data interpolation, so I was hoping that I might be useful to you guys, and that you would hire me. But I don’t know anything else. What’s this all about? Am I a prisoner? What’s going to happen now?’
Matt was on the edge of panic. He wasn’t sure he could keep from breaking down and blurting out the whole story. But that would be a death sentence for his father. Somehow he found the strength to keep it together. He wondered if it would be a smart move to give in partly to his panic, to sob a little and act like the scared young man which in truth he was. He realised that he didn’t need to, and that Norman already understood that he was under a lot of pressure, when the big man leant across and put his hand on Matt’s shoulder, and looked straight into his eyes.
‘We may have to ask you to take a polygraph examination, son, but don’t worry. I think it highly unlikely that you are in any kind of serious trouble. Maybe you’ve done some things that you didn’t ought to have, and if you have, that will become plain in due course. But I doubt it. Truth is, we’re going to have to keep you here for a while for your own good.’
Matt was relieved: they didn’t know. But the pressure remained. As Norman’s eyes bored into his, he worried that his head might start to wobble. This was exhausting as well as terrifying.
Norman leaned back in his chair and continued. ‘The CIA has had Ivan under surveillance for some time now. We know he is close to creating a human-level AI, and we aren’t exactly happy about that, but it’s not against any laws. Perhaps it should be, but it isn’t. But we also know that he has committed some very serious crimes. Those people who disappeared from the office where you worked didn’t just disappear from that facility: they disappeared off the face of the earth. We have evidence that Ivan had them killed.’
‘Really?’ Matt asked in genuine alarm. So two scientists really had disappeared from Ivan’s team! He had assumed that story was pure invention. ‘That’s terrible! What did they do?’
‘We don’t know,’ Norman replied. ‘Maybe they wanted to leave, and Ivan felt they knew too much. To be perfectly frank, that is one of the major reasons we are going to keep you here for a while. Your life may be in danger too.’
‘What? You think Ivan would try to harm me? But that’s ridiculous!’ Matt hoped he sounded more convincing to Norman than he did to himself. ‘If he was going to kill me he would have done it by now. And it’s not as if I learned any real secrets there.’
‘Maybe so, maybe not,’ replied Norman. ‘But events are moving quickly now.’ He paused before giving Matt important news. ‘We’re preparing a raid on Ivan’s ship, and I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay here until it’s over.’
Matt’s eyes were round circles. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
‘Yes, a raid,’ said Norman, noting Matt’s astonishment. ‘And we can’t take the risk that Ivan may try to harm you because he suspects you of helping us. For all we know he may have you under surveillance and he may know you are inside this building right now. We also can’t take the risk that you might tip him off about the raid. You’re a new player in this scenario. We don’t know what you know, and we don’t know what cards you’re playing. But I’ll be honest with you: the real reason I’m telling you all this is I’m hoping that you might have some information that would help us.’
‘But I don’t know anything!’ Matt’s head was spinning. This changed everything. ‘When is this raid going to happen? How long do you plan to keep me here? I don’t want to sound awkward, but this is beginning to sound like kidnapping.’
Norman smiled indulgently. ‘Don’t you worry about that, son. We have agreements with your government that cover this kind of thing. We won’t be holding you here for anything like as long as we could do if we wanted to. And you’ll be free to go as soon as the raid is over.’
Vic was still looking uncomfortable. He interjected, ‘This is for your own protection, Matt, honestly. You have an inkling of the kind of person Ivan is, but you don’t know the full story. I’m sorry it has to play like this, but there really isn’t any alternative.’
‘What about my mum? She’s going to be worried sick if I don’t show up at home this evening.’
‘We’ll let her know that you’re OK,’ Vic assured him. He exchanged glances with Norman before continuing. ‘In fact we were going to suggest that you invite her to come and join us here. I don’t want to alarm you, but she might be safer here too.’
Matt thought about this. He wasn’t sure he wanted to face too many questions from his mother. She might well be able to detect that he was hiding something. On the other hand he really could do with some moral support right now. ‘Yes,’ he agreed cautiously, ‘that might be a good idea.’
Another thought occurred to him.
‘How will you know where the ship is? Ivan works hard to keep his location secret.’
‘We have an agent on board,’ replied Norman. ‘He’s part of the crew, not part of the science team. We have a fix on the ship’s location, and good intel on its defence capabilities. Earlier today the CIA obtained the final piece of evidence we needed about those disappeared scientists, and we were given the green light to assemble our team and mount the operation. We have a world-class team in place, and we are confident that the raid will be successful. Which in turn is why I can be confident that we won’t have to keep you here for long.’
Matt swallowed hard. He felt as if he was just about keeping up with the march of events – but only just. He thought fast. ‘So . . . when is the raid going to take place?’ he asked again.
‘A Navy Seals strike force is making preparations as we speak. The ship is off the coast of Morocco, in north-west Africa. We’ll be following events from the situation room in this building.’
But Matt wasn’t really listening. He had a very important decision to make. A lot hung on him getting it right. But in truth it wasn’t a hard decision. He looked at Vic, and then he looked at Norman.
‘There’s something I haven’t told you.’
He paused. Even though there was only one sensible course of action for him now, this was a momentous decision. Vic and Norman looked uneasily at each other, and then back at Matt.
‘My father is being held hostage on Ivan’s ship.’
Norman looked at Vic briefly, and then his huge frame leaned in towards Matt. He spoke slowly, deliberately. His voice was lower in both volume and tone.
‘How do you know this, son?’
The menace implicit in Norman’s demeanour was not lost on Matt. He had rolled the dice, and now he was potentially in deep trouble with both Ivan and Vic. He had not had much of a choice, and he didn’t regret the gamble, but the next few minutes could determine whether his father lived or died.
‘OK,’ he said, placing his hands in the air, pleading for time to explain. ‘There are some important things I haven’t told you. But I couldn’t. You have to understand. I’ve been in an impossible position. My head feels like it’s going to explode.’
Norman put his palms up as well: consoling, but also asserting control.
‘It’s OK, kid. Take it easy, and let’s start with a few simple questions. How do you know your father is on Ivan’s ship?’
‘Because I saw him there.’
‘You saw him. . . ?!’ Vic blurted out. ‘You were on board Ivan’s ship? When?’
Waves of competing emotions were washing over Matt. He was relieved to be telling the truth. Lying to a senior member of the US military while effectively in detention inside the US Embassy had been almost as stressful as facing Ivan on board his ship. But at the same time he was afraid that he would be punished for lying up till now. Would Norman and Vic accept that he simply couldn’t tell them the truth before? How many crimes had he already committed? And over-riding these concerns was fear for his father. Previously David had been under the control of a ruthless megalomaniac, but a megalomaniac who had a reason to keep him alive. Now his father was going to be at the centre of a firefight.
‘Two evenings ago, although . . . I’m not sure about the timing. I was drugged and kidnapped and taken on board while I was unconscious. You have to believe me! It’s not my fault!’
Matt heard the panic in his own voice, and repeated himself in what he hoped was a calmer voice. ‘It’s not my fault. My dad is in danger. You have to help him!’
Vic opened his mouth to say something, but Norman placed a hand on his arm, telling Vic to let him do the talking. At the same time he addressed Matt in a calm, firm voice.
‘It’s OK, kid, it’s OK,’ he said. ‘Calm down. Here, drink some water.’
He picked up a glass from Vic’s desk and handed it to Matt.
‘Now look,’ he continued soothingly. ‘You’re telling us that you’re the victim here, not the perpetrator. If that’s the truth then everything will be OK. So just take it easy and tell us what happened. Take a deep breath and start at the beginning.’
Pulling back from the brink of tears, Matt did as Norman directed. He drank some water, took a couple of deep breaths and started at the beginning.
‘I got interested in artificial intelligence, and I discovered that my father’s work had some relevance to it. I started making enquiries, partly with the help of an old family friend, my uncle Leo. Before long I had a meeting set up with Ivan.’
‘OK, let’s just step back a moment here. What work was your father doing?’
‘He was working on very detailed brain scans. Apparently he made some significant improvements in the technique. He went to a conference in the US and we heard that he had died in a car crash out there. What I found out two days ago is that there was no car crash. What really happened was that my dad met Ivan at the conference, and Ivan invited him – my dad – to join his team. Initially Dad accepted, but then he changed his mind. Ivan couldn’t accept this, so he kidnapped Dad and faked his death in a car accident.’
Vic and Norman exchanged a significant glance as Matt took another sip of water.
‘OK,’ Norman continued, ‘so wind forwards a few months, up to a couple of weeks ago. You’re under the impression that your father is dead. You’ve gotten interested in artificial intelligence research and you’re reaching out to people who are doing interesting work in the field. Is that right?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’ Matt agreed.
‘And Ivan is one of the people you reached out to?’ Norman asked. ‘How did you hear about Ivan, and how did you contact him?’
‘To be honest I don’t know all the details there. My uncle Leo – he’s my dad’s best friend, but I’ve thought of him as an uncle as long as I can remember – Leo found Ivan somehow, and set up a meeting. I don’t know how. We met Ivan together, Leo and me, in a restaurant in Brighton. Thinking about that now, I suppose I should have thought that was a bit odd. Why would a busy, rich, successful guy want to have dinner with a mere student at a first meeting? I guess I tend to think that Leo can fix anything. He’s very impressive, my uncle Leo.’
‘And what happened at the dinner?’ Norman asked.
‘Well, Ivan talked about his plans. I thought it was fascinating at the time, although of course it all seems very different now. He talked about how dangerous the creation of the first human-level AI could be for the human race, and explained that he wanted to build what he called an ‘Oracle AI’ to avoid the pitfalls. We discussed whether it is possible to make even an Oracle AI safe. And at the end of the evening Ivan said he would like me to come and work for him.’
‘How nice,’ said Norman, sarcastically.
‘Yes . . . well not really,’ agreed Matt. ‘He said he would give me a lift home and then he drugged me while I was in his car. I felt sick and passed out, and the next thing I knew I was waking up on a ship. Then Ivan came in, apologised for kidnapping me, and then . . . Well, then he talked about you, Vic.’
‘Most flattering,’ Vic said, scowling.
‘We’ll want to know as much as you can tell us about Ivan’s work, Matt,’ Norman said. ‘But first, tell us about your father. How did you get to see him?’
‘Ivan told me he had a big surprise for me, and he was right. It was the biggest surprise of my life. He left the room and when he came back in he brought my father with him.’
‘That must have been one hell of a shock!’ Vic exclaimed. Norman shot him a glance, urging him not to intervene.
‘You can say that again,’ Matt agreed. ‘Dad and I have always been close. My mum isn’t very emotional, but Dad and I . . .’ He was choking up again.
‘OK, Matt,’ said Norman. ‘Take your time; drink some more water.’
Matt felt that the immediate danger had retreated, but the partial sense of relief that replaced it was an emotion almost as powerful. Matt gripped the base of his chair, determined not to give way to his feelings – determined not to show how scared he had been. Norman saw what he was doing, but he said nothing, and waited. After a pause, Matt continued, explaining his reunion with his father and Ivan’s demands.
‘So Ivan sent you to spy on us?’ Norman asked, not unkindly.
‘Yes. I’m sorry, but I guess you understand now that I had no choice. He made it clear that my dad will be killed if I don’t co-operate, and he made veiled threats against my mum and Leo too.’
‘And let me guess: if you do as he asks then he lets David go and leaves you and your family alone and everyone lives happily ever after?’ sneered Norman.
‘Well, yes . . . And do you know, I think he was telling the truth as he sees it. He says that if he creates the first AI he will use it to develop the technology to upload living human minds and then give that technology away freely. He thinks that uploading is the only way that people can survive the arrival of machine intelligence, and that everyone doing it at the same time – or as fast as possible – is the only way to avoid levels of social unrest that would make even his life difficult. So yes, he thinks there will be no reason not to let us go once the technology is developed.’
‘And he expected you to believe this bullshit?’ asked Norman, astonished.
The forcefulness of his next remark took even Matt by surprise. ‘Don’t get me wrong, Norman. I hate Ivan for what he’s done to my father, and to me. I have no words for how awful it has been – and still is. I’m not a violent person, but put me in a room with him and give me a loaded gun and I’d be more than happy to put a bullet in his brain.’
He paused and calmed himself. His anger didn’t subside, but he pushed it back down. ‘I realise it sounds incredible, but I really do think he was telling the truth about what he intends to do. He is a ruthless maniac, but I think he is a logical ruthless maniac, and there
is
a logic in what he said. Mad as it may seem, I think that he genuinely sees himself as the good guy in all this. In fact, I think he honestly believes that my father and I will eventually come to see that he is right, and work with him to achieve his goal.’
Norman shook his head and smiled grimly. ‘My god, the power of rationalisation! Even murderers and kidnappers can persuade themselves that they are acting for the greater good.’
There was a pause as each man let the news sink in. It was Matt who broke the silence.
‘So what happens now? Do I go home? Ivan must have me under surveillance, and I mustn’t do anything that would make him suspect that I’ve spilled the beans.’
Norman ignored his question. ‘What does Ivan expect you to do next? Did you arrange to send him a message of some kind after you had made contact with Vic?’
‘He set up a Gmail account for us both to use. I’m supposed to report back by writing a draft but not sending it.’
‘Yes, that’s a sensible idea,’ Norman mused. ‘It was standard procedure in the intelligence community for a while. It’s not foolproof, but for most civilian purposes it’s still a reasonable approach to secure communications. When is he expecting you to communicate by?’
‘No deadline. Just as soon as I can. Should I post something now?’
Norman was thinking fast. ‘No. As you say, he may
well have you under surveillance and he would be surprised and suspicious if he received a communication from you if he knows you are still inside this building.’ He turned to Vic. ‘You know, I think we should have security keep an eye out for anybody suspicious-looking, hanging around the Embassy entrance.’
‘But won’t he also suspect something is wrong if I just stay here?’ Matt asked. ‘If you’re right that he is having me watched, shouldn’t I go home and come back later?’
Norman was staring down at the floor. He contemplated Matt’s suggestion for a moment before shaking his head. ‘Ideally, perhaps. . . But no, I don’t think we can afford to let you leave this building until after the raid – for your own safety as much as anything else. I think we’re just going to have to take the risk that he becomes suspicious.’
Matt tilted his head slightly. ‘You said you can’t let me leave ‘as much for my safety as anything else’. Am I allowed to ask what the ‘something else’ is?’
Norman looked up and smiled at him. ‘You’re an impressive young man, Matt. You’ve been through hell and back, and yet you’re as sharp as a tack.’
He exchanged a significant glance with Vic, and continued.
‘Truth is, Matt, you can help us. We’re going to have to check your story out, but that won’t take long, although I must warn you that if you’re lying, your world is going to get real unpleasant real fast. But my sense is that you’re telling the truth. Assuming that you are, you may be able to provide us with some information about the ship, or about Ivan’s intentions and capabilities. I know you think you don’t have any information, but you never know what little details might come in handy.
‘But there’s another thing. Your father’s predicament makes our reasons for mounting this raid all the more compelling. We do have evidence that Ivan has killed those two scientists, but we’re not sure it would stand up in a court of law. If what you’ve told is true then your father’s kidnapping – and yours – are compelling justification for our action. We need to maintain the support of various politicians for this operation, and the first concern of any politician is always to cover his own rear end. Having you with us – physically as well as metaphorically – is valuable.’
‘Fair enough,’ Matt said, nodding thoughtfully. Then he looked up at Norman. ‘Those scientists. I never met them. It was just a cover story that Ivan gave me to explain my reasons for jumping ship.’
‘Interesting,’ Norman said. ‘Maybe he suspects that we know about their disappearance, and he wanted your story to hold water. But what arrogance to take the risk of drawing our attention to a couple of murders . . . My god, but he’s a cocky son-of-a-bitch!’
Matt’s face was grim. ‘If I’m with you, I can be sure that you have done everything humanly possible to keep my father safe. Let’s understand each other. You want Ivan out of the AI business, and you want him brought to book for murder. So do I. But most of all, I want my father back. Alive.’