Page 67 of Undercover Infidel
“Watch him closely,” I cautioned. “And, Tag—don’t share anything sensitive with him until I return. I have concerns about where our information is going.”
“Copy that.” Tag paused. “Bennett received a call about fifteen minutes ago. Stepped away to take it. Returned looking resolved, somehow.”
Once he rang off, I went to find Lex, who was reviewing our surveillance footage in the command center.
“I need to speak with you,” I said, gesturing toward the garden door. She followed without question, both of us knowing the walls might have ears.
Outside, the cold Scottish air bit through my jacket as we walked along the perimeter of the property, staying within sight of the house, but beyond hearing distance.
“Gus sent Bennett’s full background,” I began. “As I said previously, he was involved in an op in Estonia that went wrong.”
“What happened?”
“Three agents dead. Bennett, the sole survivor.” I outlined what I’d learned, watching her expression shift from concern to grim understanding.
Her head cocked. “I can’t help but wonder why Viper didn’t brief me on what happened in Estonia.”
“Or why Typhon didn’t do the same.”
We circled back toward the house, strategizing our next move. As we approached, Renegade appeared at the back door.
“Sir, we’ve finished analyzing the data from the eastern surveillance. You’ll want to see this.”
Inside, the command center had transformed into a hub of activity. Archon was enhancing thermal imagery while Dr. McLaren studied the electromagnetic readings from our morning surveillance.
“These readings reveal something worse,” Lex said, moving to the main display. “What we captured goes beyond neural processing.” Her fingers traced over the readout. “These wave formations match the directed energy technology research from twenty years ago.”
I studied the data, connections forming as I remembered the classified information from decades past. “This matches theoretical designs for pulse weapons,” I said. “Projects shelved due to targeting flaws and ethical objections.”
“Not shelved,” Lex corrected. “Just hidden from view.”
“Good God,” I hissed. “They’re developing something far beyond autonomous AI,” I said, my voice dropping. “A system capable of crippling global electronic networks.”
“An AIWS-guided pulse weapon,” Lex confirmed. “Targeted enough for strikes against specific systems or powerful enough for regional blackouts.”
“If they’ve solved the neural-interface issue—” Dr. McLaren began.
“They could deploy it with extraordinary control,” I finished. “Selecting targets based on real-time adaptive algorithms rather than pre-programmed coordinates.”
Bennett entered the room as we were discussing this theory. His reaction wasn’t the shock or alarm I’d expected. Instead, his expression showed resignation, as if our discovery was inevitable.
“You’ve figured it out,” he said, moving to the display. “It’s worse than you think. The integration capabilities would allow for selective targeting, including taking out defense systems while leaving civilian infrastructure intact, or vice versa.”
“You knew,” I accused, keeping my tone measured despite the anger rising inside me. “You knew what they were constructing and didn’t share that information.”
Bennett’s eyes hardened. “I’ve been tracking Orlov’s work for years. His research into neural interfaces was always headed in this direction.”
“Why withhold critical intelligence from your own team?” Lex demanded.
“Because I wasn’t certain,” Bennett replied, though the lie was evident in his tense posture. “And becauseMI6 has a history of bureaucratic hesitation when faced with unprecedented threats.”
Dr. McLaren stepped forward. “Malcolm’s concerns aren’t unfounded,” she said. “The technical specs suggest capabilities beyond anything we’ve encountered. A system that could selectively disable communication networks, power grids, defense installations—all with the adaptability of artificial intelligence guiding its deployment.”
Her detailed knowledge raised fresh questions in my mind. How did she know so much about a system that had supposedly never been built?
“We need to abort this mission and call for military intervention,” Bennett declared. “This is beyond our operational scope.”
“A military strike would be too blunt an instrument,” I countered. “We need a targeted approach in which we identify the key components, extract the essential personnel, and neutralize the threat without collateral damage.”
