Redeeming The Golden Ticket To Life

[POV Feling]

I woke up as usual, early in the morning. Following my daily routine, I grabbed a cup of coffee as I turned to the screen. I try to follow Bai Chang but she is back in her fortress. I have no access to that place. Even if I could go to the Hu Corporation servers to snoop before but after the bidding contest, it became a fortress itself. 

All the moles that were placed by the government and other agencies all were removed. There were casualties as well but amongst all these mayhem my source still lived on. While I still can't access Bai Chang, it was not that difficult to access Hu Qiang.

'That fool'

As I was about to sit my phone rang-

[Tring Tring, Tring Tring]

I picked up the call and there was no caller ID flashing on the screen.

"Hello," I answered.

A heavy and annoying voice replied from the other side, "Report to the Headquarters within an hour."

[Tu Tu Tu Tu]

The phone line went dead. The other partly clearly hung up.

'Seems there is some action involved at least…'

I gulped down my coffee and then headed towards the Headquarters.

***

Military Base Camp, A Secret Closed-Door Conference Room-

"How do you estimate the cause and effect of this case?" a uniformed man asked. His epaulette had three stars with wings.

"First we have to assess the risks involved," another man sitting opposite the first man replied politely, his epaulette had three stars enclosed within two lines, above and below.

I stood by the door and observed the people sitting inside the room. While the former was a General, the latter was a Colonel.

'Interesting' I thought.

[Knock Knock]

I knocked on the door to ask for permission.

"Come in," the Colonel replied.

I walked through the door and saluted them.

While they observed me I observed them. The Colonel looked something in his early thirties. For such a young man to be on such a post that too at his age, he can't be underestimated. While the General looked more like an old man with vigour running through his veins as he had black hairs with a sprinkle of grey hairs mixed in, other than that there are no other markers to mark his age.

I also noticed that they didn't have their name tag on their uniform.

'So is this going to become a super confidential meet?' I thought to myself.

"At ease Major," the Colonel ordered. "Have a seat," he offered.

I sit down opposite to them all straight back.

"Major do you have any idea why we convened here?" he asked.

I looked around but nothing struck. Then I think back to my meeting with Lt. General. Is it related to that? I kept my calm as I quickly analysed, then finally replied, "No sir."

He stared at me.

"Major have a look at this," he handed me a tablet, "remember, these are for your eyes and shouldn't make its way out of this room," he warned.

I look through the files presented. 

As I kept on reading the more I felt infuriated in my heart. That Lt. General screwed me over. 

I look towards the Colonel, "How sure are you on this data?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Apologies but I don't trust files like these until and unless I have searched through the source by myself," I stated.

"What makes you sure that you will find this data anywhere?" 

"Pardon me gentlemen but before entering this room you must have looked into me. So you must know that I work as a high-level data analyst and field operative. I only trust what I can find and cross-check myself, rest are rumours that I hardly care for. So may I ask, how sure are you of your information?" 

"Very well, if what is stated there is true, what would be your next step?" He asked with an edge in his voice.

"Eliminate," I replied curtly.

The General raised an eyebrow at it. "Why eliminate?" this time the General asked.

"It's appropriate as dead men tell no tales," I replied without any hesitation.

"Good, I like it, so search for the clues yourself and finish the appropriate steps yourself. You have only a week to finish the task. If you fail I will eliminate you, to be fair. Now move on, your time starts now," he ordered.

"Salute" I saluted and left the room.

'This is going to be a fight against time' I thought to myself.

****

Inside Feling's home-

I pace around the room as I try to think through it.

According to the U.S. classification of information, the system has three classification levels -- Top Secret, Secret, and Confidential -- which are defined in EO 12356.2 Those levels are used both for NSI and atomic energy information (RD and FRD). Section 1.1(a) of EO 12356 states that:

(a) National Security Information (hereinafter "classified information") shall be classified at one of the following three levels:

(1) "Top Secret" shall be applied to information, the unauthorized disclosure of which reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security.

(2) "Secret" shall be applied to information, the unauthorized disclosure of which reasonably could be expected to cause serious damage to the national security.

(3) "Confidential" shall be applied to information, the unauthorized disclosure of which reasonably could be expected to cause damage to the national security.

Section 1.1(b) of EO 12356 states that "except as otherwise provided by statute, no other terms shall be used to identify classified information."

Most countries follow these basic outline, but projects or data related to scientific innovations are a whole another murky area.

The more important that an item of information is to national security (the more damage that would be caused by its disclosure), the higher should be the classification level of that information. Determining the net damage to the nation caused by the disclosure of information. The magnitude of that damage will determine the classification level that should be assigned to the information under consideration for classification.

The amount of damage caused by the disclosure of information will be the primary determinant of the classification level to be assigned to that information, but the imminence of that damage might also be a factor in determining its classification level. That is, the shorter the time period between the time that the information is known to an adversary and the time that the adversary can use that information to our detriment, the higher should be the classification level of that information.

Accordingly only scientific or technological developments vital to the national security should be assigned the Top Secret classification level. Disclosure of this information "reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security." Vital is defined as -

Vital--of the utmost importance; essential to the continued existence, vigour, efficiency, independence, or value of something expressed or implied; taking priority in consideration over other factors or elements

While only "significant scientific or technological developments relating to national security" should be classified at the Secret level. "Significant" has the following definition:

Significant--having meaning; full of import; having or likely to have influence or effect; deserving to be considered; important; weighty; notable.

As for Top Secret scientific or technical information indicates that both levels are concerned with developments vital to national defence. One difference between the two descriptions is that Secret information includes new technological developments, materials, etc., whereas to be Top Secret the information has to concern radically new and extremely important munitions of war such at atomic weapons.

But the problem is Project 33 is under special category. With a lot of investors involved to trace the leak would be a headache.

First, I will start with myself.

I run a basic system diagnostic and then move on to penetrative analysis and risk analysis.

As I run various diagnostics I come across a mirror clone of the server hosting Project 33. 

I clenched my fist.

"I swear I will kill the traitor after giving him a tour to the purgatory for screwing me."

I retrace the virtual footprint and it leads me to an interesting place, it is cloud storage separated from other virtual planes.

There, the contents are very interesting.

I go through the data thoroughly line by line.

[Gurrggle Gurrggle]

My stomach grumbled. I am hungry, I forgot that I didn't have anything after that morning coffee. I move to the simple open kitchen by the side of the room and start to boil water in a saucepan. I fixed my self a bowl of instant noddles and get back to work.