Read Online Search Terms: Alpha by Travis Hill - Free Book Online
Authors: Travis Hill
Tags: Science-Fiction
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the region.” The newly-elected president refused to answer further questions, and her press secretary, Alexi Chan, has not replied to our inquiries.
The new American president’s remarks came on the heels of a new United Nations report accusing the United States military of wartime atrocities in the coastal cities of Latakia and Jableh, as well as the inland city of Hamah. A spokesman for President Bashar al-Assad distributed video of the Alhamida Massacre. Also included was disturbing footage reportedly taken by American soldiers inside the Al Jadeed Mosque that shows young Syrian women being sexually assaulted, along what looks to be a mass execution of Syrian soldiers loyal to al-Assad.
Secretary of State Helen Engleman would not confirm the video’s authenticity. However, she stated that there has been an increase in the number of cyberattacks by groups that the CIA claims are closely tied to the worldwide hacking group known as “Anonymous,” as well as Hezbollah and the Western Islamic Front, one of the newer factions that has formed from the remnants of the original Arab Spring uprising. “This administration promises swift retaliation against anyone found violating American sovereignty,” Engleman said, “which not only includes our physical land holdings, but our network infrastructure and communications grid.”
The “Internet Security Act,” the American cybersecurity law passed in 2018, has significantly reduced the number of leaks from within the country. Critics continue to label the law draconian and unconstitutional, even after being upheld by the American Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision this past May. The United Nations report also criticizes ISA, claiming the American law attempts to allow enforcement around the globe, not just within American borders.
“When a law like this clearly states that America has the right to assassinate or otherwise terminate a life outside of its own borders,” said Meli Farawa, the United Nations’ Chief Legal Counsel, “it becomes a concern for the rest of the world’s sovereign states. According to some of the most vague wording we’ve ever seen in any law passed in a democracy, ISA could be interpreted to cover almost any crime, and because it labels those accused of breaking the law as ‘enemy combatants,’ it also allows for the new American military tribunals to try and convict suspects in absentia.”
“Imagine a drone strike destroying your village,” one source who wished to remain anonymous said, “and being told that one of the villagers was accused of terrorism and sentenced to death remotely.”
“What the fuck is this shit?” I asked aloud, afraid the computer would answer me with some new trick.
I looked at the address bar again. Then looked at the top banner, and noticed that I didn’t recognize any of the scrolling headlines. Not that I was a news junkie, but Dr. Campbell and Professor Garner were both sticklers about keeping up on current events. Not only that, but my mother listened to NPR at work all day when she wasn’t on the phone or dealing with clients, and I guess my father did too, as they would have deep conversations about events that I had no clue about.
When I was sixteen, I couldn’t have cared less about anything going on in the world that wasn’t me getting my hands on breasts, or baseball season, or any number of things that had nothing to do with politics, economics, or even education. By the time I was eighteen, I still cared about all of the teenage things, but I’d grown up enough to begin paying attention to real world outside of my little bubble.
NPR was still a bunch of boring old people rambling on in their soft voices about things I didn’t give a shit about, other than once in a while when they’d profile a band I liked, or talked about a sport I followed. The internet was the ultimate repository of news, though I’d learned that a lot of it was full of skewed opinions or downright bogus
The new American president’s remarks came on the heels of a new United Nations report accusing the United States military of wartime atrocities in the coastal cities of Latakia and Jableh, as well as the inland city of Hamah. A spokesman for President Bashar al-Assad distributed video of the Alhamida Massacre. Also included was disturbing footage reportedly taken by American soldiers inside the Al Jadeed Mosque that shows young Syrian women being sexually assaulted, along what looks to be a mass execution of Syrian soldiers loyal to al-Assad.
Secretary of State Helen Engleman would not confirm the video’s authenticity. However, she stated that there has been an increase in the number of cyberattacks by groups that the CIA claims are closely tied to the worldwide hacking group known as “Anonymous,” as well as Hezbollah and the Western Islamic Front, one of the newer factions that has formed from the remnants of the original Arab Spring uprising. “This administration promises swift retaliation against anyone found violating American sovereignty,” Engleman said, “which not only includes our physical land holdings, but our network infrastructure and communications grid.”
The “Internet Security Act,” the American cybersecurity law passed in 2018, has significantly reduced the number of leaks from within the country. Critics continue to label the law draconian and unconstitutional, even after being upheld by the American Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision this past May. The United Nations report also criticizes ISA, claiming the American law attempts to allow enforcement around the globe, not just within American borders.
“When a law like this clearly states that America has the right to assassinate or otherwise terminate a life outside of its own borders,” said Meli Farawa, the United Nations’ Chief Legal Counsel, “it becomes a concern for the rest of the world’s sovereign states. According to some of the most vague wording we’ve ever seen in any law passed in a democracy, ISA could be interpreted to cover almost any crime, and because it labels those accused of breaking the law as ‘enemy combatants,’ it also allows for the new American military tribunals to try and convict suspects in absentia.”
“Imagine a drone strike destroying your village,” one source who wished to remain anonymous said, “and being told that one of the villagers was accused of terrorism and sentenced to death remotely.”
“What the fuck is this shit?” I asked aloud, afraid the computer would answer me with some new trick.
I looked at the address bar again. Then looked at the top banner, and noticed that I didn’t recognize any of the scrolling headlines. Not that I was a news junkie, but Dr. Campbell and Professor Garner were both sticklers about keeping up on current events. Not only that, but my mother listened to NPR at work all day when she wasn’t on the phone or dealing with clients, and I guess my father did too, as they would have deep conversations about events that I had no clue about.
When I was sixteen, I couldn’t have cared less about anything going on in the world that wasn’t me getting my hands on breasts, or baseball season, or any number of things that had nothing to do with politics, economics, or even education. By the time I was eighteen, I still cared about all of the teenage things, but I’d grown up enough to begin paying attention to real world outside of my little bubble.
NPR was still a bunch of boring old people rambling on in their soft voices about things I didn’t give a shit about, other than once in a while when they’d profile a band I liked, or talked about a sport I followed. The internet was the ultimate repository of news, though I’d learned that a lot of it was full of skewed opinions or downright bogus
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