“Yes,” Axel said.
“It’s Grant.”
“What is it?”
“Gail got Bhavin.”
Axel’s heart sunk. “How?”
“His helicopter went down on the way to Manhattan. The pilot said it was another drone attack, just like the day before, but this time with twenty drones instead of two. Despite the helicopter being damaged, the pilot managed to land. They made a run for it and the drones came after them. The drones, they… mutilated him… according to the pilot.”
“I… I don’t know what to say,” Axel said.
“We knew this was increasingly likely, but I’m still having trouble…”
Axel had never known Grant to be emotional about anything. Working for Bhavin was all Grant knew for the last decade. He must have been like a father to him.
“He was a visionary. He truly cared,” Axel said. “And he knew the risks.”
Grant was quiet.
Axel tried to stay detached, unemotional. They had done all they could to protect Bhavin with decoys and a veil of secrecy, but Gail had too many resources at her disposal, too much control. They both knew this was a likely outcome and had told Bhavin as much countless times.
It didn’t stop him. Bhavin would only say, “If they get me, don’t waste any time in mourning. Fight harder.”
“So now we implement the succession plan,” Axel said. “Who’s in charge? Is it Rawlings?”
“The plan has been sent to you securely. I have also given you all the necessary authentications and credentials. It will be everything you’ll need to assume full control of Nadar Corporation.”
Axel took a moment to digest Grant’s words. “Bhavin wanted me to… take control of Nadar Corporation? All of it?”
“Yes.”
“But I know nothing about running a multinational corporation.”
“Exactly. That’s no longer what this is about. You know more than anyone it’s about fighting a war.”
Axel’s mind grappled with Grant’s weighty words.
“Besides,” said Grant, “your real name has never been used publicly in association with Nadar Corporation. Even your position in the company was never announced. You have been cloaked more than Rawlings or anyone else, which makes you easier to protect. Outwardly we will announce that the board of directors is in charge, but they’ll be cosmetic actors only.”
When Axel thought about it, it made sense. Bhavin may have been preparing him for this all along. But it didn’t mean he would be safe. He was more at risk than ever.
His safety was the most immediate concern but not the most significant. He had inherited an enormous responsibility. He was at the helm of the only organization that might be able to put a stop to the Detonation, as Grant now called it. They were the only ones that might be able to stop Gail.
His mind started racing. It was the flood of adrenaline, the rush of fear, and all of his ops training coming together all at once.
“New York isn’t safe,” he said to Grant. “This building isn’t safe. Never come back here, do you hear me? We will regroup to the south of here, in Pennsylvania, at beta station. Let’s meet there in twenty hours. By that time I will have been able to review and conduct any urgent actions based on what Bhavin left me. Change your identity and establish a new internal network.”
“I have already changed my name again. I understand, sir.”
“And Grant, be careful.”
“Yes, sir,” and Grant hung up.
His family. Their faces jumped front and center into his mind. He had to get them to safety. They would object. They wouldn’t understand. He would have to be forceful, belligerent even, and explain later. Although Gail didn’t know his position, they still could be tied to the corporation. For all he knew, Gail would eradicate anyone associated with Nadar Corporation if given the chance.
He texted a message to the quarantined phone he gave his wife: Pauline, I’m terribly sorry. There has been an event at work. We are going to have to move the whole family out of the Long Island house as soon as possible. We will be moving to Pennsylvania to ensure our safety. I promise I will explain later. I love you dearly.
Pauline sent back angry texts and then tried to call him, but he couldn’t deal with that right now. He silenced his phone and went to his terminal to open the succession plan from Grant.
He read the succession letter. It was unemotional, tactical, and to the point. It was signed with Bhavin’s usual Satyameva jayate.
When perusing the files, Axel found a few secrets Bhavin had kept from him but not many. Axel rapidly scanned the new docs, getting up to speed on any missing information. It looked like all phase three activities were moving forward according to plan.
As he raced through the content, he felt he wasn’t giving it enough of a critical eye. He was just going through the motions, his mind working too fast for the words on the page to register. Meanwhile, the one folder that he wanted to access—the one that had been such a bone of contention—loomed on his screen like a beacon.
The Sentinel Project had been hidden from him until only recently. It was a huge resource drain on Fortient, more than any other project Bhavin tried to contain and hide away. The work was the subject of much debate between him, Bhavin, Rawlings, and Grant. Axel and Grant had pressed Bhavin repeatedly to proceed with it, but he was always reluctant, always putting it off. On all other things Bhavin seemed ahead of Axel in his thinking, but not this. Axel could understand. It went against so many of Bhavin’s principals—principles he’d staunchly believed in for so long.
But that didn’t mean it was the wrong path.
It was risky, to be sure. More dangerous than anything they had tried. They could be adding fuel to Gail’s fire. But there was no more time for half measures. It might accelerate their demise, but without it, their demise seemed inevitable.
Axel remembered some of the heated questions during their strategic discussions. Countless times, someone had called out in frustration, “how does one outwit a superintelligent machine?”
No one ever had a good answer.
The answer is, you can’t.
He clicked on the icon, maneuvered through authentication, and got to the command prompt. He typed in Initiate Project Sentinel, Strategic Defense Phase. Clearance Code AY87230DHMH.
Are you sure you want to move out of the Research Phase into the Strategic Defense Phase? his computer asked.
Yes, Axel typed. He let the cursor hang on the word for a moment, and then, he pressed enter.
Thank you the screen responded. The Strategic Defense Phase of the Sentinel Project has been initiated.
PART III
ANTS AMONG GIANTS
“We have to admit we are in the process of building some sort of god. Now would be a good time to make sure it’s a god we can live with.”
THE BATTLE OF GRAND CAVERNS, PART 1
Flora was exhausted before the real fighting even began.
They had travelled to Grand Caverns at a breakneck pace, taking circuitous paths to avoid both Spoke and Essentialist patrols, not to mention any possible cameras, or the massive invading horde of Spoke forces. Cecile wanted to leave enough time to visit the sanctuary and get back to their rendezvous point, a tavern called the Broken Spoke. More importantly, they wanted to arrive in Grand Caverns before the incoming Spoke army engaged with the Essentialists, as Talon would be involved in the conflict.
Despite their careful measures, the group still had two confrontations. They lost one of their own Quebecker militia when they stumbled across four Spoke patrolmen. Then they had to engage with five Essentialists who unfortunately happened to see them break into their hideout on the outskirts of Grand Caverns.