BXBX NOVEL Chapter 58 - Enigma
Mid-April 2013, the low air pressure above the clouds surrounded a helicopter and its accompanying UAV escort. Mr. Lee and his family sat in their seats uncomfortably. The helicopter provided luxurious amenities, but it was the sense of unknowing and confusion that unnerved them.
The strange and mysterious men who brought them from Seoul never answered any questions about why they had to go to North Korea, of all places.
The air pressure began to rise as their vehicle landed within a remote helipad among the blooming cherry blossom forest. Then, finally, the platform started to move and lowered itself underground.
Mr. Lee felt relieved to see the men in black didn\'t send them to Pyongyang.
He walked out of the helicopter and was amazed to see a massive underground facility. His family followed and stared in awe, watching manufacturing drones, engineers, and armed security working around the area.
"Is that an aerodyne vehicle?!" Mr. Lee asked in surprise after observing an SUV-sized vehicle hovering towards the helipad.
"We\'re not here to answer your questions. My companion here will show your family to the living quarters. After that, I\'ll be taking you to meet someone." the man in the black combat suit stated.
Mr. Lee walked through the facilities\' corridor following the mysterious man until arriving in front of a heavily defended area.
The door leading into a lavish office opened for them to enter. A beautiful woman greeted Mr. Lee.
"President Lee, welcome to our North Korea facility. You\'re pretty lucky to meet the boss directly. He\'s always in the European branches these days." the woman stated.
She led Mr. Lee deeper into the office and met a caucasian man in his mid-30s. A sleek Future Couture-Esque business suit accentuated his regal demeanor.
"Mr. Lee, I\'m glad you made it here in one piece. I heard Senator Won Hyun petitioning for your immediate arrest. But before we begin this little interview, hand over all of Hyundai C&E\'s crucial data. We both know you\'re only valuable because of the information you have. I will remember your sincerity." the man said in a devilish tone.
[I can\'t mess with these guys. Especially now that my family is practically prisoners.] So Mr. Lee thought while reaching for a secure hard drive in his pocket.
"Do you have a computer somewhere? The drive requires a master key to be unlocked." Mr. Lee asked.
"Of course, You can use a laptop." the man replied as his secretary brought in a modified and unusual-looking computer.
Mr. Lee plugged in the drive and typed in his master key.
"You\'re smart enough to comply without further persuasion. You have my gratitude. Hyundai C&E employed some data security strategies that made it a bit of a hassle to hack, but it\'s no issue now. I\'ll let you ask your questions, and I will answer as best as I can." the man declared.
"Who are you? What is this place? Why did you take us here?" Mr. Lee asked as he jumped on the opportunity to get some explanations.
"My name isn\'t essential, but most people call me Enigma within the organization. I\'m the fifth leader of Digital Anarchy or just Anarchy. This place is our North Korea facility, a significant branch servicing East Asia."
"You\'ve never heard of us, but for a good reason. Our roots trace back to the earliest hackers in the 70\'s when the first Engima made his fortune by stealing research data from many US and European universities."
"You will be working for Anarchy from now on. Unfortunately, like many of our employees, you and your family are now presumed dead and have no public identities." Enigma stated plainly.
"Why are you telling me all of this? I assume your organization keeps secrets." Mr. Lee asked in confusion.
"We do keep secrets, of course. But I feel like I can be candid with a person in such a sensitive position as you are. So unless you want your family to suffer for your mistakes, I suggest compliance." Engima said with a smile.
Mr. Lee started sweating profusely after being threatened in such a casual way.
"What would you have me do, Enigma?" Mr. Lee asked.
"The organization requires engineering guidance for a current customer order. Anarchy\'s old-time client, Kim Jong-un, has been satisfied with our long-term partnership with his family but is now in dire need of more weapons. Therefore, you will be joining the engineering team in designing and manufacturing nuclear ballistic missile systems and updating our construction process." Enigma replied.
"You want me to make weapons for the enemy?!" Mr. Lee asked in surprise and anger.
"North Korea is your enemy no longer. Always remember that you don\'t have a choice anyway. You can try to escape with your family, but it will end disastrously, I assure you." So Enigma stated as a matter of fact.
Mr. Lee chose to move on to a different topic fearing for his family\'s life.
"If you don\'t mind me asking, Enigma. How do you have manufacturing drones and aerodyne technology? Future Tech protects their assets like an overbearing father." Mr. Lee asked curiously.
"You\'re correct in this assumption. But, unfortunately, there has never been a private company of Anarchy\'s 40 years of history we couldn\'t hack. Though we do have workarounds." Enigma explained.
"The Scandinavia branch was able to steal the first generation Hive Mind schematics from a Koenigsegg executives\' inbox before most of their security measures were in place two years ago. The aerodyne design is the one licensed by Future Tech to Ford for commercial use. The schematic only contained the most basic turbofan engine design, but it\'s a good start. We had a Ford employee steal the information in an inside job." Enigma explained truthfully.
"How does Anarchy have so many agents to do your bidding?" Mr. Lee asked.
"Most of our members don\'t even know they\'re part of Anarchy. The Ford employee sold his insider information on the black market. Hacker groups like Anonymous think their hot stuff, but most don\'t realize Anarchy is just controlling them from the background. They\'re happy to provide cybercrime services, and network servers in exchange for specialized equipment only Anarchy can provide."
"The two talented Korean hackers who were detained and confessed to Anarchy\'s existence is a stain in our glorious history. They will be dealt with soon enough." Enigma declared.
Mr. Lee sat on the sofa with a blank face. His mind was trying to process all the information Enigma courteously shared.
[What have I gotten myself into?!] Mr. Lee pondered while drinking the served tea.
"The organization has plans—big plans to secure our monopoly in selling valuable information to the rich and powerful. Our biggest obstacle right now is Future Tech, and there will be a time of reckoning, but for now, do your task well, and you\'ll be rewarded in kind."
"Go and share what you\'ve learned with your family. You will live a new life now, a life with more meaning." Enigma instructed before his secretary joined Mr. Lee in leaving his office.
A man in a black combat suit entered the office after a few minutes.
"Enigma, the commercial aerodyne vehicle is working as intended. The information provided by the Ford employee checked out, though the design cost $10 million." the man in black stated.
"That\'s great to hear. Unfortunately, most of the black market dealers who aren\'t associated with Anarchy are usually inept and useless. We got lucky in this regard, though I\'m not too fond of loose ends. I think the usual is fine."
"I changed my mind. You can do a car accident for now. Anarchy has to lie low before we can match up with our enemies." Enigma instructed.
"Your will is my command, Enigma." the man said before leaving the office.
[Finally, Anarchy has an enemy who\'s worth our time and effort.] So Enigma pondered while working on upgrading Anarchy\'s manufacturing drones.
A few hours later, at a random highway in Michigan, a man was driving to the Ford Motor Company offices.
[I can\'t believe it. I\'m so rich now. What should I do with $10 million? I don\'t want to go back to work, but it would be suspicious if I didn\'t.] the Ford employee thought while behind the wheel.
He was too enraptured in the thought of being rich and didn\'t realize the car\'s ECU was acting weird. Gasoline slowly leaked out of the gas tank while the car\'s computer emptied the brake fluid.
The moment the man turned toward the highway exit, he couldn\'t slow down enough and crashed into the concrete barrier. He survived the head-on collision but was engulfed in flames from all the gasoline spread around the car.
The fire department arrived 10 minutes later to find a scorched vehicle and a man burnt to crisp.
Stats last time checked:
Future Tech current valuation - $300 billion
15 million BTC (currently trades at $1,000)
$45 Billion cash in Future Tech
26,000+ employees (FT AI, Future Studios, Hive Mind Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, Future Tech F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics, Future Education)
20,000+ operators under Future Security
Personal Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner
Five company collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E)
Dozens of investments under Future Tech Holdings (i..e., Instagram)