POV: Aritra NaskarDate: September 25, 2012Location: Nova Tech Headquarters – Executive Suite & LuciDai Integration Lab, Salt Lake Sector-V, KolkataTime: 6:00 AM IST
Rain spat against the windows of my executive suite as dawn hesitated, half-hidden behind heavy monsoon clouds. I sat at my desk, the glow of the tablet illuminating my frown. Steam rose from a cup of strong Darjeeling tea—as if mocking my unrest. The past week's battles had been won: Kashmir's drones had saved lives, Vietnam's amphibious models were nearing deployment, and Blackwood's stock surge had been publicly rebuffed. But now, a new alert blinked on my tablet's secure network feed: "LuciDai Integration – US NODE 8: Anomalous Forecast Detected."
I exhaled sharply. The LuciDai AI, our final piece for the US pilot, was meant to predict policy outcomes, budget allocations, and crisis responses with uncanny accuracy. Yet now it signaled a forecast spike so drastic no one—not even our own engineers—had anticipated it. If the AI was compromised, the ledger's stability could collapse. Industry analysts were already speculating in hushed tones: "Has Nova Tech bitten off more than it can chew?"
I tapped my earpiece. "Priya, confirm status on LuciDai integration."
Her voice crackled back within seconds. "Aritra, something's off. The initial data feed from Node 8 in Silicon Valley shows the AI computing a 1,200% budget deficit for Arizona's water reclamation project—utterly impossible. All previous data pointed to a modest 3% uptick in costs. Our forensic logs show a delayed influx of historical drought records—someone injected fabricated data to warp the AI's model."
My heart thudded. "Block Node 8 from external inputs. Lock down the API. Then reroute its training set to our internal logs. I want the AI sandboxed immediately."
"Understood." Priya's tone was taut. "I'm on it."
I powered off the tablet and swung around. The suite's door opened without a knock. Ishita Roy entered, her sari's navy silhouette offset by concern in her eyes.
"I saw the LuciDai alert," she said. "Interpol confirmed that 'Falcon Syndicate' has an R&D subsidiary operating in Cupertino, possibly attempting to manipulate our AI training data. They're leveraging back channels of Blackwood's shell companies."
I nodded, steeling myself. "This is bigger than a simple ledger hack. Viktor is using CIA-level tradecraft to poison our AI. We need to neutralize it before our US pilot goes live. Ishita, prepare an emergency Tribunal session—redline LuciDai as a security threat."
She exhaled, tapping her tablet. "I'll draft it now."
"Good." I rose and ran a hand through my hair. "I'll be in the lab. Priya, patch me in once the AI is sandboxed."
I left the suite, moving through the quiet corridors toward the LuciDai Integration Lab on the 11th floor. Each step echoed, the stillness of early morning at odds with my racing pulse.
Location: Nova Tech – LuciDai Integration LabTime: 6:30 AM IST
The lab's floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the monsoon-drenched skyline of Salt Lake, droplets racing each other down the glass. Inside, long rows of workstations glowed with lines of code. At the center sat Dr. Rhea Mukherjee, peering intently at a cascade of data on her screen. Beside her, Syed Kamal tapped furiously at a terminal, while Priya Menon oversaw a 3D schematic of the LuciDai neural net arch.
I approached the main console. "Rhea, status?"
She didn't look away. "We isolated LuciDai's data ingestion module. The AI's core sandbox is online—but someone injected a corrupted data set at 2:42 AM. That dataset relocated real-world irrigation project logs into an alternative directory, replaced them with falsified entries. If not corrected, US Node 8 would broadcast an erroneous ten-year budget collapse."
I inhaled, steadying myself. "How soon can we restore the original training logs?"
Rhea tapped a few keys. "I've backed up the pre-corrupted data on an immutable blockchain. Reversion will take two minutes. But we need to quarantine LuciDai's outbound API calls for at least one cycle to ensure no remnant queries slip through."
I nodded. "Do it." As she executed commands, Syed leaned in, concern in his voice. "We should alert Cisco's security ops—ensure no deeper flaw in the AI's adaptive learning loop."
Priya confirmed, "I've pinged them. They'll begin a parallel forensic trace." She glanced at me. "You should address the team—once we revert, we need cohesion."
I cleared my throat. "Everyone, listen up." I stepped before the open core of the LuciDai rig. "We've just detected a deliberate AI poisoning. This isn't a random bug—it's coordinated sabotage by Viktor's proxies via Falcon Syndicate. Their goal: discredit Nova Tech's US expansion, undermine faith in our model. But we will not let them win. Rhea, I want that reversion executed now. Priya, keep Cisco's team patched in. Syed, stand by to shift the new data feed once LuciDai is clean. We'll suspend Node 8's live broadcast for 24 hours—better to be offline than to issue false forecasts."
They exchanged determined nods. Rhea tapped "Execute," and blocks of code scrolled like digital rain. The AI's neon loop shifted from red error bars to steady green.
Priya exhaled. "Reversion complete. LuciDai integrity restored. We've quarantined outbound API calls."
I exhaled. "Good. Now let's verify with Cisco. After that, relaunch LuciDai on a truncated dataset—no autodownloads. We'll rebuild the predictive models manually before giving it governance control."
Syed tapped a confirmation message. "Cisco acknowledges. They'll run secondary monitoring for the next 48 hours."
I allowed myself a moment to breathe. "Thank you all. We'll update the Tribunal at 10 AM. I want a status memo ready in 45 minutes."
Location: Nova Tech – Executive SuiteTime: 7:30 AM IST
Back in my suite, I shut the door and sank into my chair. The rose‐gold dawn had given way to a sullen gray—monsoon clouds brooding low over Salt Lake. I opened my tablet to draft notes for the Tribunal briefing. As I typed, I felt a soft vibration in my pocket: a secure message from Katherine Naskar.
KATHERINE:I have urgent news from Hanoi. The Ministry of ICT's third‐party evaluator reports an anonymous code segment in our Vietnamese drone firmware—an undocumented backdoor. They suspect industrial espionage. I'm convening a Vietnam‐specific Tribunal subcommittee at 9 AM local. They request Nova Tech's forensics team to fly to Hanoi immediately.
I let the message sink in. Blackwood's reach had extended from sabotaging AI to embedding malware in drone firmware—everywhere. I tapped a quick reply:
ATRITRA: I'm on my way. Dispatch Rhea and one dev‐ops specialist to Hanoi this morning. I'll handle Tribunal here. Stay safe.
I stood, buttoned my suit, and headed to the Security Operations Center. Even as I walked, my mind ran: LuciDai was clean for now, but Vietnam's pilot faced new sabotage. It felt like Viktor was striking at every node simultaneously, orchestrating a grand assault on Nova Tech's credibility.
Location: Nova Tech – Security Operations CenterTime: 8:00 AM IST
Priya and Ishita waited at the head of the SOC's bank of screens—each displaying live node statuses across the globe: LuciDai's US node now solid green, Singapore's and Penang's emerald glow undimmed, but Vietnam's Node 9 flickered amber, showing a red flag: "FIRMWARE ANOMALY DETECTED – UNAUTHORIZED CODE SEGMENT."
I stepped into the hushed hum of servers. Priya offered a curt nod. "We've quarantined Node 9's diagnostic feed. Verification pending. Cisco's monitors flag unusual outbound packets—encrypted channels to an IP address traced to Europe."
I exhaled. "So it's systemic—firmware, AI, hardware. He's attacking all fronts." I scanned the screen: Vietnam's early pilot sites—Binh Duong, Da Nang—were offline. "Drones are offline—malicious code has shut them down. Rhea and Dev‐Ops will need to strip the firmware, rebuild secure images, and reflashing devices. We have kits ready?"
Ishita nodded. "Team is packing for the flight. We have secure USB drives with clean builds, and hardware break‐points for on‐site reflashing. The Vietnam subcommittee is meeting at 10 AM local—coordinate with them immediately."
I tapped the console: "Open a secure channel to Hanoi team. Let's show them that Nova Tech remains committed."
A green box popped up with "Katherine Naskar – Hanoi Channel Active".
Location: Virtual – Hanoi Tribunal SubcommitteeTime: 9:00 AM ICT (Vietnam Time) / 7:30 AM IST (Kolkata Time)**
Katherine's face appeared on my screen, framed by the ornate high‐ceilinged room of the Ministry of ICT. Seated beside her was Nguyen Minh Triet, head of the national evaluation board, and two representatives from local telecommunications firms. Katherine looked weary but resolute.
I greeted them: "Good morning, Katherine. I understand you've identified firmware sabotage. We're deploying Rhea and our lead dev‐ops to investigate the code. They'll arrive within three hours to begin the rebuild."
Nguyen's expression was stern. "Thank you. Vietnam expects zero tolerance. A single compromised drone could mean disaster in the Mekong's flood season."
Katherine interjected: "We'll also provide on-site workshops for your local engineers—full transparency on code structure. No black boxes."
One representative, Ms. Tran from Saigon Telecom, leaned forward. "How can we trust that the new firmware will be secure? We need a public demonstration—live audit of the code."
I nodded. "Understood. When Rhea arrives, we'll host a live code‐walkthrough at the subcommittee. Our code is open source—anyone can inspect. We'll even set up remote screen shares for transparency."
Katherine gave a small smile. "This will reassure the Vietnamese public and local stakeholders."
Nguyen's voice softened. "Very well. We appreciate your cooperation." The feed ended, leaving us to breathe for a moment before my earpiece buzzed with a new alert:
"URGENT – TRIBUNAL EMERGENCY SESSION, SALT LAKE: 9:30 AM IST."
I met Priya's eyes. "Ishita—open Tribunal channel in five minutes."
Priya hit a button: "Ready."
Location: Nova Tech – Tribunal Virtual ChamberTime: 9:30 AM IST
On the main holo-screen gathered five faces: Ambassador Diallo (UN), Commissioner Adesanya (AU), Ambassador Vasquez (UN/Blackwood), Minister Faisal (Malaysia), and Aritra Naskar (Nova Tech/ASEAN). Katherine and I appeared together, side by side, determined.
Ambassador Diallo spoke first. "Gentlemen, the Tribunal is convened under emergency protocol. We have two simultaneous security breaches: firmware sabotage in Vietnam and AI corruption in the US. We must determine accountability and appropriate sanctions."
Commissioner Adesanya leaned in. "Nova Tech's systems were attacked via Falcon Syndicate proxies. Evidence points to Blackwood's indirect facilitation. Ambassador Vasquez, can you comment?"
She exhaled, tone tight. "Blackwood Holdings had no sanctioned involvement. Nevertheless, we acknowledge that rogue elements within the organization—operatives loyal to Viktor—acted without board approval. We have suspended any Blackwood‐linked R&D on co‐projects pending Tribunal review."
Minister Faisal's face remained cynical. "Yet Blackwood stock continues to climb. How can we trust this action is genuine?"
Katherine stepped forward. "We've frozen any procurement from Blackwood‐related shell companies. We issued a public statement detailing that any unauthorized purchase will lead to contract termination. We are prepared to offer full transparency on our procurement logs to verify compliance."
Ambassador Diallo nodded. "Nova Tech has taken swift defensive steps. Still, we need to issue an official censure. Commissioner?"
Adesanya indicated he would draft one. "The Tribunal will issue a censure against Blackwood for failure to control its proxies. We'll also mandate Nova Tech to provide weekly security audits for the next three months, globally. This will include code transparency sessions and drone firmware reviews."
I exhaled. "Agreed. We will comply. Nova Tech stands ready to host live audits in Silicon Valley, Hanoi, and Salt Lake."
Ambassador Vasquez's voice trembled slightly. "Blackwood Holdings accepts the censure and will fund an independent audit consortium as a sign of good faith. We regret the actions of Viktor's affiliates."
Diallo tapped his desk. "So decided. Tribunal adjourned. Remain vigilant."
The holo-screen blinked off, leaving Katherine and me alone, flushed with exhaustion and triumph.
I let out a deep breath. "We did it."
Katherine put a hand on my shoulder. "But the fight isn't over. Viktor's reach remains."
I nodded, already planning the next moves: tracing the shell networks, reinforcing firmware protocols, and ensuring no shadow could extinguish Nova Tech's light.