JAMES BONG - Agent of Anarchy - Episode 21

A scientist and wannabe whistleblower from the deep state contacts Bong.

Scene 1

General Small is in his office at CIA headquarters.  He’s about to dig into a mega-large pizza when he gets a call on his holo-phone.    

Mr. Hack:  Sir, this is Hack, from data analytics.    
Small:  Kinda busy right now with this giant pizza, but go ahead.    

Mr Hack:  Sorry, sir, but it’s urgent.  I’ve noticed an alarming trend in fictional writings and videos with themes of peaceful anarchy.  They’re becoming quite popular at an exponential rate.

Small (rolling eyes):  Ok, Mr. Hack, I’ll make a note of that. Anything else?
Mr. Hack:  With all due respect, sir, you do realize that the control of popular fiction has been an indispensable cornerstone of all big governments throughout history.    This trend in peaceful anarchy writings could be highly disturbing to the state.

Small (condescending):  Look, this isn’t really my department, but I’ll pass it on up the old command channels, ok?

Click.

Starts to take a bite of pizza when his holo-phone rings with a call from his boss Sir Hugo Trax at MI6.   

Small (annoyed):  Trax, I’m about to have pizza.  Can you call me back in 20?
Sir Hugo Trax: Small, the world doesn’t revolve around your feeding schedule.    

Small:  Well, maybe it should.    
Trax:  I’ve come up with a fool-proof plan to finally get to Bong, and I need you to get it implemented immediately.

Small:  If it’s so fool proof, why don’t you do it yourself?
Trax:  Cuz if it fails, I can blame you.  That’s what I love about hierarchies.    

Small (sighs):  The things I do for a pension.  Ok, lay it on me.
Trax:  It involves Operation Nanobrain.

Small:  You’re not really going to risk that op are you? And who thinks of these ludicrous names, anyhow?

Trax:  Just don’t screw it up, Small, and the op will continue as normal.  And then we can get Bong out of the way and maybe stem the tide of this disturbing trend in peaceful non-compliance.  I’ve seen far too many “taxation is theft” t-shirts the past few weeks.

Small:  Yeah, so what’s the big deal about a few t-shirts? 

Trax (facepalm):  Small, I’m sure you’re aware of the growing number of people refusing to pay taxes here and in the US.  You do realize that without taxes, there goes your job and you pension.  

Small (gasps):  This is cause for alarm! Ok, Trax, your scare tactics worked.  Oh yeah, and that reminds me of something I was supposed to tell you, something from a call I just got from analytics.  Hmmm…...(shrugs) Oh, well, can’t be that important.  I might remember later.  So what’s your fool-proof plan?

Scene 2

At K’s place in Acapulco, K is playing Pac-Man with Symphy and listening to 80s synth.  K is losing badly.    

Symphy:  If you would like, I can downgrade my ability settings to make it a more enjoyable competition for you.    
K (defiant):  Nope, I’ll beat you eventually.  It’s only a matter of time.    

Symphy:  The human life span does not allow for such possibilities.    
K (sighs):  Very funny.

Symphy:  There is an incoming encrypted message from an unknown source.  
K:  Ok, pause Pac-Man and throw it up on the holo-screen.

K reads the message.  It’s from a scientist who claims to be a whistleblower at a secret research project in China.    

K:  Hmm, interesting.  Symphy, check out his credentials and let me know if you think it’s legit.    
Symphy:  Yes, K.

Scene 3

A few hours later, Bong is sipping red wine on a beach in Chile when he gets a call on his encrypted smart watch.

K:  Bong!   
Bong:  What now, K?

K:  You’re going to China! Congratulations.
Bong:  Oh, am I? And why is that?

K:  I’ve got a hankerin for some authentic Chinese cuisine.
Bong:  I haven't had enough wine yet to tolerate your jokes.  

K:  Ok, ok.  I got some encrypted messages from a scientist who wants to blow the whistle on a project he says he’s involved with in China.  According to his file photo, his name is Dr. Bill Spiller.  Symphy and I checked out the details he gave us, and it looks like they check out.  Harvard and MIT big shot….

Bong cuts him off.

Bong:  Just skip to the important stuff.  I don’t need to hear how many hoops he jumped through.
K:  You know about DNA computers?

Bong:  Yeah.
K:  Well, he invented it.

Bong (sarcastic):  All by himself just tinkering in a garage somewhere, I imagine.   
K:  Ok, he was on a team that developed it, anyway.  He’s worked for some well known extortion-funded merchants of death in the past, like Lockheed-Boeing and DARPA.    

Bong:  Who’s he with now?

K:  That’s the thing, I couldn’t find his current status.  He didn’t say the company name or the project. However, in the message I got from him, and this was heavily encrypted so I’m not certain this is correct, Symphy thinks it’s involving the Falun Gong.  You know about that group, right?   

Bong:  Yes, they’re highly repressed in China and targeted for organ harvesting.  What would a guy like Spiller be involved with there?   
K:  Or him employers, for that matter.    

Bong:  And a way to contact him? Or shall I just send smoke signals?
K:  He gave me coordinates.    

Bong (takes final gulp of wine):  How about you go this time, and I’ll sip Chilean wine.
K:  I have a better idea. Before you go to China, you can make a pit stop here and drop off a fine Chilean wine for me.

Bong:  Are you hallucinating?
K:  Oh, come on, why not? You afraid of getting stopped by the uniformed extortion-funded pirates, also known as customs?

Bong (scoffs):  Don’t insult my ego to get what you want.  You know I fly under the radar.    
K:  Bring a bottle for Miss Moneybit, too!

Bong:  Goodbye, K.

Click. 

Scene 4

2 days later.  Longmen Mountains west of Chengdu, China.  Bong has just landed his 3D printed hemp-powered plane, modeled after the Beechcraft King Air 350i.  He’s on foot, approaching the designated coordinates where he is to meet Dr. Spiller.  Bong calls K on his smartwatch.

K:  Bong! You never showed up with the wine.
Bong:  You seem to whine enough, so I thought better of it.  Look, I’m within about a half a kilometer of the coordinates you gave me. There’s nothing here that I can see, at least above ground.  Go ahead and signal him.

K:  Got it.  Oh, and your video feed from your shoulder cam isn’t so hot.
Bong (annoyed):  Perhaps you can get around to fixing that while you’re lounging around Acapulco.  In the meantime, I’m gonna try and do my job here in a less hospitable climate.

K:  So testy.  Jet lag?

Bong hangs up.  Within a few minutes, an ATV appears on the horizon and makes its way towards Bong.  A tall, thin, nervous looking character gets out and meets Bong.    

Bong:  Dr. Spiller?
Spiller:  Mr. Bong.  Are you recording?

Bong:  Of course.
Spiller:  For my protection, I must insist on no recording.

Bong:  For your protection and mine, I must insist on documenting everything here.  Otherwise, I’ll do a little mountain hiking, and be on my way.  Good luck getting your story out through any of the oligarch-owned propaganda channels.    

Spiller:  Very well, Mr. Bong.  You leave me little choice.    
Bong:  Who do you work for?

Spiller:  I can’t say.  What I can tell you is what I know of the project, and where you can verify, if you wish.    
Bong:  You mentioned Falun Gong in your message.

Spiller:  Yes, they are our test subjects.
Bong:  Does this involve organ harvesting?

Spiller:  Certain members of the Chinese elite are concerned with that, but that’s not why I contacted you.   

Bong:  When you say “elite”, you mean the ruling psychopaths in corporations and government? And you don’t have a problem with violently stealing someone’s organs and their life? Not to mention that organizations you worked for in the past, like Lockheed-Boeing, were extortion-funded merchants of death?

Spiller:  I’m not here to debate morals with you, Mr. Bong.  Besides, that is only a subproject of what goes on where I work.  The main objective of the operation is, at least I thought, develop more efficient and practical uses for DNA computers.  But there is a dark agenda afoot in the use of that technology.

Bong:  Darker than murdering and stealing organs?

Spiller:  We were recently teamed up with a pharmaceutical company and tasked with finding a way to make DNA computing transferable via a vaccine.   

Bong:  I see.  One question about the ability of such technology.  Does it have input and output?
Spiller:  Yes.

Bong:  So whoever has this DNA in them, will no longer have the ability to be autonomous?  And I imagine your fear is that this will be done covertly by means of a vaccine?

Spiller:  And that’s why we’re having this conversation.    
Bong:  What happens to the test subjects? Where do they live? How long do they keep the DNA in them?

Spiller:  They’re sent back out into the world to go on about their lives.  We track them constantly, of course, to monitor how they behave in society.  Their memories of being kidnapped and experimented on are erased, of course.  Mr. Bong, that’s all I can tell you to get you started.  I’m arranging to leave within the week.  Can you assure me that you won’t go public with this until I’ve managed to flee?

Bong:  One week.

Spiller:  However, if you wish to take the risk and see for yourself, I’m willing to give you the location of the base.  I can’t take you there myself, for obvious reasons.    
Bong:  Very well, Dr. Spiller.    

Spiller:  I’ll send them to your associate immediately.   

Bong extends hand and shakes with Spiller.   

Bong:  Good luck, Dr. Spiller.

Spiller rides away in his ATV.  Bong starts walking back to his plane and calls K.

K:  Bong, your timing is impeccable.  I was just about to finally beat Symphy’s high score on Pac-Man.    

Bong (cringing):  Glad your priorities are in line.  Wouldn’t want you watching the live feed I’m sending you or anything.  Anyway, I need you to do more digging on Dr. Spiller. Also, I put a microdot tracker in his hand, so let me know where he ends up.  He’s also sending you location data for what he says is the project base.    

K:  I don’t get it.  Why the tracker if he's sending the location?

Bong:  Cuz I don’t buy his story.  It was far too easy. Also, I have serious doubts that a veteran of highly immoral operations and with ties to various extortion-funded entities, like Lockheed-Boeing and DARPA, would suddenly have any moral qualms.  And he didn’t want to give any names at all.  There’s something else going on. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Spiller is back at his base of operations and making a holo-call....

Spiller:  Bong should be arriving within hours.  

To be continued in episode 22!

Thanks for your time and attention!

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