Chapter 333: I Was Informed on What was Going to Happen
Michael Reyes stood at the podium, wrapping up his announcement with a confident smile. The applause from the audience was still echoing in the room when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Trying to maintain his composure, he discreetly checked the screen and saw a series of urgent notifications.
"Thank you all for your time," Michael concluded, stepping down from the podium. He motioned for Bridget, Juliet, and Antoinette to join him backstage.
Once they were out of the spotlight, Michael pulled out his phone and read the messages.
[Weather Manipulation Satellite Active!]
Michael's heart skipped a beat. The message was unexpected and alarming. He quickly scanned the details and realized the gravity of the situation. The United States was attempting to use the satellite without his authorization. He needed a moment to process this.
"Just a moment," Michael said to his team, his voice tight. "I need to handle something urgent."
Without waiting for a response, he stepped into a quiet, secluded corner of the room. His mind raced as he tried to comprehend the implications of the alert. He knew he couldn't share this information with his team; it was a confidential matter between him and the United States government.
There was only one reason why the United States would use his satellite, and that was to start a war against China. He had expected this would happen in the near future, but not this early.
Fortunately, the satellite won't work without Michael's go signal. After all, if there would be a war, he wanted to be informed. And since he is not informed about the matter, then unfortunately for the United States, their plan is thwarted.
***
Meanwhile, in the Oval Office.
President Thomas Greene sat at his desk, his eyes fixed on the digital clock on the wall. The seconds ticked by slowly. He turned to Reginald Thornton, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was on the phone and speaking with someone. Reginald's face was taut with frustration.
"What's happening, Reginald? Has the operation started?" President Greene asked, his voice tinged with impatience.
Reginald covered the receiver and turned to the President. "No, sir. It hasn't. The satellite won't work."
President Greene's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, it won't work?"
Reginald sighed, his expression one of irritation. "We don't know sir. It was working during our field test but now it doesn't. Our specialist is looking into it right now as we speak…and I hope it is resolved soon or else."
"Or else what?" Thomas urged him for an answer.
"Or else…the Chinese might find out about the satellite and shoot it down with their anti-satellite missiles," Reginald finished,
President Greene's expression hardened. "We cannot afford that. Get it working, Reginald. And fast."
Reginald nodded and returned to his call, barking orders and trying to expedite the process.
***
In a high-security control room at the United States Strategic Command, a team of specialists was huddled around a series of computer terminals and large monitors displaying live telemetry from the Weather Manipulation Satellite. The room buzzed with tension as they worked to diagnose the problem.
Dr. Emily Carson, the lead satellite engineer, was at the center of the activity. She typed rapidly on her keyboard, running diagnostics and checking system logs.
"Telemetry data looks nominal," she said, her eyes glued to the screen. "Power levels are stable, and all subsystems are operational. But the command sequence isn't being executed."
Dr. Mark Reynolds, another senior engineer, reviewed the satellite's control interface. "We confirmed that the uplink is stable, and the command was transmitted successfully. There's no indication of a hardware failure."
Emily frowned. "Let's check the software side again. We need to make sure there are no bugs or glitches in the command execution protocol."
Mark nodded and brought up the satellite's software architecture. "Running a full scan now."
The team watched as lines of code scrolled across the monitors, highlighting any potential errors or inconsistencies. After a few tense minutes, the scan completed without any issues.
"No software errors detected," Mark reported. "The command sequence should be executing."
Emily leaned back in her chair, deep in thought. "If it's not a hardware issue and it's not a software issue, what else could be preventing the command from executing?"
One of the junior engineers, Sarah Martinez, hesitated before speaking up. "What about the security protocols? Could there be an additional layer of authorization we're missing?"
Emily's eyes widened slightly. "That's a good point. Let's check the security logs and see if there's any indication of an authorization failure."
Sarah accessed the security interface and began sifting through the logs. After a few moments, she found something.
"Here," she said, pointing to the screen. "It looks like there's an authorization protocol that wasn't completed. The satellite is awaiting confirmation from an external source."
Emily's brow furrowed as she read the log. "It says the satellite requires an authorization code from the primary contractor. That would be... Michael Reyes."
Mark's eyes widened. "Of course. The satellite was developed in partnership with Reyes Corporation. They must have built in an additional security measure requiring Michael Reyes' authorization for activation."
Emily turned to the team, her expression serious. "We need to report this immediately. The President and the Joint Chiefs are expecting results."
She quickly drafted a message detailing their findings and sent it to the upper officials. Within minutes, her secure line buzzed with an incoming call from Reginald Thornton.
"Dr. Carson, what did you find?" Reginald's voice was tense.
"Sir, we've identified the issue. The satellite requires an authorization code from Michael Reyes to execute the command sequence," Emily explained. "Without his approval, the satellite remains inactive."
There was a brief silence on the other end before Reginald responded. "Understood. We're contacting Mr. Reyes now. Thank you for your quick work, Dr. Carson."
***
In the Oval Office.
Reginald Thornton just got off the phone with Dr. Carson and turned to President Greene, who was pacing the room.
"Mr. President, we've identified the issue," Reginald said, his voice steady. "The satellite requires an authorization code from Michael Reyes to execute the command sequence. Without his approval, the satellite remains inactive."
President Greene's expression darkened. "So, we need Reyes' authorization to proceed. I didn't expect him to embed something on the satellite. Well in that case let's contact him."