Chasm Waxing: A Startup, Cyber-Thriller Read Free Page B

are
completely anonymous; well, pseudo-anonymous. Something called, the
‘Blockchain,’ allows every transaction to be viewed by anyone in
the world. There’s just no personally identifiable information
associated with the transaction .”
    The General frowned. He
stared at Samantha menacingly. “So who is Team Bravo? How much are
they making? Are they Gamification employees…and what about taxes?
Geez, I can see the headline now, ‘NSA Director serves on board
of company that thwarts US tax laws.’”
    Samantha gulped. “Like
with a lot of new technology, there are some gray areas here. Remember
when ride-hailing companies—Uber, Lyft, and Didi—first launched? Or
driver-less cars? Or house and apartment sharing through Airbnb?
Laws always have to catch up with the technology.
    “ I’ve spoken at length
with our lawyers and they believe that it’s the responsibility of
the Bitcoin recipient to declare the income and pay the income
taxes. Our lawyers also believe that Gamers are not our employees.
I’ll call them again and see if they can suggest any
alternatives.
    “ Just to use this demo as
an example, the most anyone made was the level 19 Sorcerer. And she
made under $800. You can see that paying a Gamer is much cheaper
than paying a security administrator.”
    Becca admired how quickly Samantha
thought on her feet. She wanted to emulate that trait in her
mentor. They were close, and like Becca, Samantha lost her mom at a
young age.
    “ Do you know the Gamers?”
asked the General.
    “ No,” replied Samantha.
“They need to remain completely anonymous to us—and us to them.
Gecko Insurance Company will never buy our
software , if the Gamers are aware they’re traipsing around the Gecko
network fighting monsters and rogue routers.
    “ Going forward, this is a
huge issue for our business model. We have human Gamers playing
games in GAMESPACE. At the same time, these Gamers are also performing work in
REALSPACE. But they don’t know they’re working in REALSPACE. And, we’re
not paying them for work in REALSPACE. We’re just rewarding
them for playing the game in
GAMESPACE .”
    “ Maybe we just need robots
to perform the job,” said the General, in half-jest. “I want to
talk to your attorneys. You’re using Loreal & Hammer,
right?”
    Samantha nodded. Loreal
& Hammer was a shadowy law firm. General Shields recommended
the firm to all the Accelerator’s portfolio companies.
    “ Please schedule a secure
teleconference with them during next week’s board
meeting.”
    “ Yes, sir,” replied
Samantha.
    General Shields’ cell
phone buzzed. “Excuse me.
I ’ve got to respond to this
text.”

Chapter 3 – General Shields
    6:05 p.m. (EDT), Friday, July 24, 2020
- Columbia, MD
    Suite 601, General
Shields’ Office, Defense Innovations Accelerator
    General Bernard F. Shields
stood an even six foot, with broad shoulders and a square jaw. He
was in his early
fifties , very young for such a
high-ranking General. Shields sat at the same English Oak desk his
father had used as an Air Force General during Viet Nam.
    Most Generals who
commanded cyber-forces were “nerdy.” General Shields was not. He saw himself
as a digital Patton. He didn’t walk; he sauntered. Shields leaned back
in his chair and rested his feet on the desk. Numerous photos of the General
with famous people adorned the paneled walls. A special section was
dedicated to his family, including his wife of 31 years, Lisa Shields.
    Pictures of his son,
Charlie Shields, filled his office. The largest photo was General Shields’
favorite. The blown-up snapshot depicted Charlie’s Navy SEAL graduation
in 2014. Navy SEALs were widely
regarded as the most elite special
operations unit in the world. SEALs conducted extremely
dangerous missions, like killing Osama Bin Laden.
    In the photo, General
Shields was in full Air Force blue uniform, covered with medals
and numerous brightly colored insignias. Lisa snapped the picture. Of course,