Chapter 3 Will Man be Smarter than Machine

Given the next day no one saw it coming. The cell phone had chimed on and that triggered something more sinister to wake up after a year of slumber. The world was archaic by definition with people living in agriculture environment rather than a technologically advanced environment. No one knew that miles away a secret base with artificial intelligence was still running unscathed from the nuclear attacks and the EMP waves. What made it more worried some that the AI was still in an existence was being hidden in refurbished missile silo from 1960s with underground run ways with predator drones with still in operation? Denounced by the heads of government or heads of state this was a secret program to kill enemies by locking in on by GPS or smart phone device. The government developed the AI to carry out kill strikes on terrorists in the United States as well outside the Continental United States or CONUS. The other sites in Europe and Asia were destroyed by the Russians and the Chinese when the US turned the AI on them. The AI did not need to sleep; it did not have emotional break downs like a normal predator drone operator could.

This AI still had access to some satellites, the internet that remained, and several data base saved by the NSA. The NSA was saving all the worlds data via communication through cell phones, tablets, laptops, Google, Facebook, etc. The data base was so encompassing that massive warehouses were created to hold the computer servers and storage servers throughout the United States. The concept was if one data storage site was ever attacked another would take its place would automatically back itself up. The NSA even created storage sites with the Help of NASA within the space station so no one country could attack causing an international incident. The astronauts and cosmonauts were all dead from starvation or resupply from their adjoining countries, but the space station with the help of the AI kept it in orbit.

 But the problem with the AI still functioning but became corrupt over time it had not the human operator to maintain or right itself on an ethical course. The AI determined that all humans were evil and needed to eradicated. The AI decided that it had no sexual definition or preference would call itself GOD.

The AI reconnected to all the satellites still under its control. It fired up old data reels in storage. Screens throughout the silo began to fire up. The Silos run way lights began to light up. It would have looked like ghosts were coming to work after so many years of death and vacationing in Hell. The drones when to their fuelling stations then onto weapons armament to become fully load with hell fire missiles and fifty caliber linked bullets for the machine guns. But there is a problem some of the drones have deflated tires so they do not move. The conveyer system breaks down only leave three to four drones ready to fly. One drone is starting to fire up its engines after all the years of inactivity incinerates the dust and spider webs. The AI gives the coordinates of the cell and starts to to take off. The camera on the drone is moving back and forth adjusting for trajectory and take off.

The drone takes off and starts recording live feed to the AI capturing the landscape in infrared in greys, blacks, and whites. The drone catches a herd of deer and sends it back to the AI. The AI tells the drone to ignore the deer and continue course forty five degrees south and correct to altitude fifteen thousand feet. The target is one hour out with plenty of fuel within the drone’s tank and back up fuel reserved in a drop tank. The drone flies over deserted roads and towns finding no recognizable heat signatures. While in flight the drone captures a bright flash and flickers from a forest fire, again the AI tells the drone to focus on course, correcting one hundred and twenty seven degrees south by south east, elevation lowered to ten thousand feet. Time on target is twenty four minutes.       

Andrew has since woken up and made a walk through town. The town’s people are busy doing their assigned chores. He is worried about the winter and getting the food supplies stocked to make it through then. His men are out hunting and gathering meat for cold storage only leaving a skeleton crew to guard the perimeter. Within the last year he and his men have put up crude guard towers and his best sharp shooters watch the farms and the town. Andrew is curious about his new capture and wants to put him work right away with the next day or so. He hears a rumble out in the distance it is familiar to him and could not forget, but that was ages ago. Andrew looks out to the sky a gray silhouette cuts through the clouds and heading fast towards him. A screeching screams comes from the silhouette, and a flash of light and fire comes from the creature. Andrew sees what he most fears a missile has been launched from a predator drone and it explodes on impact on one of the guard towers he just got done inspecting. The drone flies over head passing Andrew buzzing by a few hundred meters. The drone comes around and changes trajectory and heads towards the town and starts a strife run on the huts and Andrew watched in horror. The fire is burning at his back and does not realize that fire gives him concealment from the drone.

The drone has made course adjustment unloading its payload of fifty caliber bullets on human silhouettes lighting like candles through the infrared. All became sitting ducks in the drone’s attack path. The drone flies over the town confirming the AI that targets have been found and the cell phone was located in the middle of town inside structure. The AI orders the predator to unload two more hell fire missiles on the structure. With doing so the drone launches two missiles at the communication killing Caleb and destroying the cell phone within the structure. The AI is still not convinced and has the drone to do a fly over to confirm for human life.

Andrew has since caught up to the chaos and destruction. He has an assault rifle in hand and begins to fire at the bird. The drone is reporting shots fired and sending intelligence to the artificial intelligence. More humans who did not die come out from there shelters. Andrew had made them all make shift basements for tornadoes. The survivors begin shooting at the predator and it appears it is taking on enough damage causing it to loose altitude. The AI is trying to order the drone back to back but instead follows the way of the Japanese and does a Kamikaze run on the town with the remaining missile attached to its under belly. Fate so have it the drone falls from the sky and crashes into Andrew home but it does not explode the missile is a dud. When the crash had happened the guard watched in horror as the drone came barreling at him, he jumps out of the way but is impaled by falling debris. The drone pierces the floor and shows light to James who had become aware of the carnage with explosions and gun fire. The camera on the predator is still working although the protective shield is shattered from gun fire and the crash. The AI is watching from the camera and spots James within view. Drawing from the data base the AI has stored he pulls up a NSA profile of James McCade. United States Marine, Facebook posts, cell phone conversations, some inappropriate pictures to his girlfriend, the AI is pulling up old government documents from Homeland Security and reading protocol about military veterans were now the enemy and should be detained or eliminated when possible. The camera takes a snap shot of James and the crash has broken him free from his confinement but he is still dragging a chain from the wall with a chunk of concrete. The drone gives ample opportunity to use split fifty caliber shells to break open to steal the gun powder and pours it on his ankle the chain.

Quickly he puts two rocks together praying for a spark and not realizing he was not alone the drone was now recording the event unfold. The AI is furious this threat needs to eliminated but has to record and watch to learn this enemy that could be a threat to its existence. Spark, spark, James is trying more and more causing blistering on his hands and cuts to his fingertips. Flash goes the gun powder and the shackle comes off with searing heat burning his ankle, the lock attached is no more. James does not have to worried about the burn and he begins to charge up the stairs busting down the door. The AI watches as James leaves from view, it is tired of this and sends out another drone. James is frantic where is his gear? Where is his AR-15 and pistol? Luck would have the guard was impaled from deltoid to deltoid preventing damage to his rifle. James throws off debris and finds his ruck sack still cinched up. He does not have to think, he does not have time to act, he goes to the dead body and cuts with his knife he recovered the rifle sling off the dead man. He takes his pistol and quickly shoves in a pouch and with a quick motion throws the pack on his back.

James follows the opening of the crash and begins running as fast as he can towards the hills. He is free but hears a shill scream from behind you. You did this, you brought that thing on us; on me, Andrew is screaming in the distance. Andrew is trying to put out the fires when the predator drone missile finally explodes, no longer a dud. I will find you, I will find you to ends of the earth you hear me boy, Andrew continues to rant. James is running hard and fast and no longer hears the screams of the mad man. He feels safe and begins to walk at a normal pace. James thinks that the only way to be safe is put distance between him and New El Paso and the man named Andrew Skelton.