Dust Page 5

  Chapter 05 - Detrick

  The word went out discreetly. Of those approached more than one hundred and fifty companies and thirty-eight universities wanted to join the fight and submitted proposals to help with the nano defense project. The Chinese declined stating that a threat was not sufficiently proved. As designated coordinator, the GNI (Global Nano Initiative) chose fifty respondents, stating that any more would be unmanageable and would increase the security risk. Some of the foremost universities involved in artificial intelligence were not contacted because it was thought that their transhuman sentiments would not be compatible with the intent of this project. Dr E Steven Rice was in charge of coordinating this international effort.

  The coordinating unit was given quarters near Washington because the Politicians wanted them close by but not to close. Fredric Maryland and Fort Detrick would house their facilities. It’s just over an hour from Capitol Hill. The unit would be hidden in plain sight at the smallish army run medical research facility. Their cover story would be that this was a task force to develop nanotechnology to combat potential pandemics. The best lies have truth in them. The extraterrestrial nature of the target pathogen and the extreme measures that where planned would be secret for as long as it was possible to keep it that way. Other aspects of the operation could be viewed by visitors without revealing anything out of the ordinary. Dr. Rice would raise no suspicions with his history at Rice University’s Center for Biological and Environmental nanotechnology department. The use of contractors would not be unusual here.

  The team would need the full support of the communications and reconnaissance missions at the fort to monitor the status of the nondefense once deployed. Detrick wasn't that bad a choice for a base considering politicians picked it.

  The rest of the project, especially the construction phase, was executed at sites all over the world.

  A select group of people was recruited from various disciplines. Steven picked them on grounds of capability, trustworthiness (because he knew them or knew of them), and ability to work really hard for long periods of time without making mistakes. Most didn’t have families to dilute their attention. Most were given quarters on post. There were exceptions.

  Colonel Charles Neccy, US Army retired, stood at the entrance to the new home of the GNI with tablet in hand. Like Noah loading the ark he welcomed the motley assemblage of people who were all showing up for work on the same day. Each security-cleared newcomer was biometrically scanned by a machine spanning the entrance. Their identity was verified and the bio data was entered into a database. The colonel then handed each new arrival a badge to wear with their picture and encoded data on an imbedded chip. This would facilitate future entry into the building.

  Colonel Neccy, retired, would be in charge of post-deployment monitoring. Being in charge is what he loved most. His teams had time to prepare before the center of attention would be on them. They had to interface with the development teams to devise tools and methods to monitor the dust once it was released to multiply. His were the field people who gathered data and those at Detrick who analyzed the data and presented it to the director. His scientific credentials were weak but he had command experience and knew the world having been posted in most of its hot spots in his carrier. It was thought that this skill would be useful in the monitoring phase since paramilitary units would be mounting that task in the field and reporting to Detrick.

  Although the post had the policy of not allowing civilians who worked there to use or refer to any former military rank Col. Neccy let it slip frequently and introduced himself that way to each and every person he greeted this first day.

  While each person waited for the badge to be coded with the data collected, Colonel Neccy would engage in conversation. He would punctuate his own comments with a laugh that did not invite anyone to share in the amusement. He made flattering comments to the women and candid ones to the men. He came across as an alpha Rottweiler who wanted to be petted.

  Some recruits were given quarters on post -- Nice quarters. Some already had off post accommodations. Doctor Ruth Halingway was one. She was 33, small (5 foot … and a half inches please). She had blue eyes and black hair that she wore in a ponytail. She wore frameless glasses and no makeup. Her complexion was flawless and her figure womanly but not distracting from across the room. Her nose and ears were a little large to put her at the statistical mean that is considered universally beautiful. She looked intelligent, compassionate, and motherly. She was all of these. She had the letters MD after her name and MRS before it but the title she cherished most was Mom. Ruth was comfortable to be around. No one had a bad word to say about her. She wasn’t threatening to anyone. None of the guys hit on her – it would be like hitting on your own mother. She worked on nanotech systems because they offered unprecedented opportunities for mankind. Oh, and it paid the bills. Her husband was a good man but self-employed and construction work was hit or miss. She had chosen research over private practice after her residency because it interested her and she thought it would give her more time with her family – her husband and twin daughters. She gained a position on the team because she already worked at Fort Detrick, she already had a security clearance, and her area of expertise was consistent with the cover story.

  Her smile to the Neccy automatically matched his sincerity.

  There was Brenda Edmann also 33 and small. Dark hair and eyes she looked middle-eastern. She was married with one daughter. She was more aggressive and there was no Ph.D. after her name. She was an unthrottled powerhouse of energy. She was likely to act first and think about it later. She gained a position on the team because she knew the right people and was not shy about collecting favors. Her expertise was not up to the standards of the others. Everyone would assume she was a government plant put there to spy. Her smile to Charles seemed genuine.

  From California, because they were already privy to the project’s raison d’être, were Troy Leary, single, 27, geek technician, but good looking, to work on communications and as liaison with the various signal battalions. Jon Davis moved from California, ostensively representing the space connection. He did not parade through the initiation procedure. Jon did not work at the GNI building but was listed as a consultant and his association with the project was one of its secrets. It was thought better not to tickle anyone’s memories of that hoax thing. Only a few knew that he and Steven where a couple.

  There was Nannette Holt a super competent administrative assistant to aid Steven. She had already received top-level security clearance for another assignment and could slide in here without any delays being between assignments at the time.

  There would be Philip Page PhD, a dedicated administrator and a prominent nano-electronics engineer. Phillip would be the principal team leader in charge of data analysis. His responsibility would be for the monitoring of the final chapter of the global defense – the actual encounter. He was chosen for the team because of his connection with The Cornell Nano Scale Science & Technology Facility. He had also researched advanced communications technology at the University of Surrey in Guildford England. Phillip had been recruited out of academia by Steven Rice’s company because of his work on directed luminescence in conjugated polymers and had worked on improving nano level communications before the Nano Defense Inactive. As an employee, Phillip had known Steven and since Steven was a hands on technical person they had worked together often. Phillip was one of the first people chosen to work on the GNI development project. He didn’t go through the employee initiation. He was already working for the GNI in Europe. He was helping with the design of the nano communications and energy distribution systems.

  Smitty (Walter Eugene Smith) PhD was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome in his childhood. His parents were educated and well off. They would submit to no limitations and none for their only son. He was given special training and the best help. More importantly, this child inherited h
is parents drive and willingness to work hard. Or maybe it was his parents' yelling at him if he didn't.

  As with some Aspergers children the deficiencies of this mild form of autism was compensated for with a brain that could process many details and recognize subtle patterns and, of course, a predilection for obsessions.

  At age ten young, Walter became obsessed with linear algebra. It wasn't his first obsession or his last but it was something he found he had a talent.

  Most proud parents like to parade their prodigy in front of guests at parties. The child is commanded to perform on the piano or recite a poem for the gratification of the guests and the parents. Young Walter could solve ninth order simultaneous equations in his head without paper or calculator. This was a talent that bewildered most quests. Whereas a savant that could do multiplication of nine digit numbers would astound the average party guest, as they verified the answer with their calculator, linear algebra was totally beyond the guests at a typical party of lawyers that Walter's parents invited.

  Through hard work, and lots of yelling (equal amounts from parents and little Walter) not only had little Walter succeeded in his education but he had excelled in university. He had gotten his PHD in predictive analysis and was now a professor.

  His students were less impressed with him than his collogues. His monotone during lectures was soporific. His doctoral dissertation was on the mathematical predictions of swarm behaviors as it applies to society and artificial intelligences of which the current nano defense was an example. His social life was sparse but that wasn't altogether unusual among his class of achievers. Although he couldn't understand people instinctively, he knew all the subtle clues and could more or less calculate how people felt. He had what he called artificial empathy. When he got tired however his limitation might show.

  What Smitty could do with matrixes was astounding and totally lost on all but the math majors of the world. His algorithms were programmed into the dust processing molecules to enable them to keep track of and calls plays for a trillion molecules to a degree that would be the envy of the best athletic coach.

  Phillip’s team had Smitty as staff mathematician and data analyzer, Troy as chief computer and communications guru, and he had been promised a Helen Giangreco data analysis specialist as soon as she passed her security clearance check. He also had Doctor Ruth to evaluate nanobots’ interactions vis-à-vis humans and Charles had assigned Brenda to his team but he never quite understood why.

  The Detrick contingent included science reps from the International Association for Nanotechnology community. There were only a hundred fifty people at this control site to administrate the salvation of the world

  There weren’t as many non-Americans as you would think for an international enterprise. Too many foreigners on a US military base would need explanation. It is better not to have to lie than to have an elaborate lie on hand that could fall apart if looked at too closely. There were a couple Japanese, a trio of Germans, a Frenchman, and a Korean on the team at Detrick.