Jack had some impression of "Still Vigilant." In the original "Person of Interest," they were a terrorist organization deliberately cultivated and supported by Greer, the mastermind behind "Decima."
They were dedicated to exposing secret federal government programs, and later staged a so-called "citizen trial" livestream, arresting high-ranking officials including the "Master Controller" and Senator Ross Garrison, in an effort to expose the "evil" "Aurora Project."
But to call "Still Vigilant" a terrorist organization seemed like a bit of a compliment to Jack.
There's a long-standing federal undercover joke about the FBI receiving a tip that a group was planning to blow up a government building, so they scrambled to surround the suspect's hideout.
However, when the agents burst in, guns drawn, and yelled, "FBI! Everybody get down!" the room fell silent.
At that moment, a calm voice boomed from the corner, "Wait, don't shoot! We're on this! I'm an undercover ATF!"
Then a hand reached out from behind the sofa and shouted, "DEA! I'm one of you, too."
The third person in the room was bewildered, glancing around at his two accomplices before shrugging helplessly, "I'm an undercover DHS agent."
"Always Vigilant" was a similar situation. Aside from a supposed ringleader and a few key personnel, almost all the operatives, funding, and equipment came from Decima.
Decima's mastermind, Greer, wanted to replace the black-box "machine" with another type of artificial intelligence—"Samaritan"—to achieve a cyberpunk-style "corporate" model.
That is, to transform "government" into a "corporation," using AI to rule the world, transforming human society into a future without a "ruling class" and a world where everyone is ants under the AI.
Jack strongly suspected that Mr. Greer was a fan of "The Matrix." His vision was largely similar to the film series, minus the virtual world and the human batteries.
Since there are no "gods" in the world, and since human nature is so uglier, let man-made "gods" rule the world. Humanity doesn't even need to think, just live like cattle and horses—the ultimate capitalist dream.
Unlike "machines," the "Samaritan" lacks the secrecy of Fincher's designs. It's more like the advanced AIs in most dark science fiction works, devoid of humanity, mechanically driven by logic, and treating humans like pigs.
Jack still hasn't figured out what this world's "constant vigilance" is up to, and what it has to do with the "Samaritan."
Logically, after he eliminated Decima's boss, Greer, the organization attempting to expose the "Polaris Project" should have quickly vanished without Decima's support.
Therefore, their unusual activity gave Jack a glimpse of something unsettling.
Fortunately, it's been confirmed that while the current status of Project Samaritan remains unclear, it's likely still in the hands of the NSA, not Decima, as depicted in the original series. It even has military authority to "beat" the "robot" baby to a pulp.
With Shangri-La's global data centers and geostationary satellites (only one has been launched so far) providing coverage of North America and Europe, the "robot" baby is undoubtedly invincible.
After instructing Harry to have Omega expedite the investigation into "Always Vigilant," Jack stayed in DC for a few more days, spending a pleasant weekend with Senator Zoe Anderson and Secretary Maureen Cahill.
Maureen has now been officially appointed Secretary of HUD (HUD), becoming a member of the President's Cabinet.
While the HUD Secretary has the least say among the 17 members of the Cabinet, with a similarly low profile compared to the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, his position offers a clear advantage:
a relatively unburdened office. Contrary to popular belief, the Federal Constitution does not mandate the existence of a cabinet. All executive power rests solely with the President, making the federal cabinet a mere convention dating back to the time of George Washington.
In other words, Cabinet ministers serve merely as assistants and subordinates to the President, lacking constitutional standing or legal representation.
Furthermore, with legislative power in the hands of Congress, Cabinet ministers have only so-called executive authority—in essence, they carry out the President's orders.
Therefore, despite the impressive title of Cabinet minister, aside from key figures like the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury, others are generally considered dispensable.
After all, Cabinet ministers frequently change throughout the presidential term, leaving them with little practical responsibility. Most administrative work is left to the shadowy, professional bureaucrats.
Before leaving DC, Jack made a point of visiting Joey, the brother of the hulking Jack Reacher.
The former president had been successfully re-elected in this world, having avoided an assassination attempt during the campaign like Jack had in his previous life. Furthermore, with Joey as Deputy Director, the Secret Service was immune to the "graceful" influence of the Efficiency Department.
Salaries were generally good, with overtime pay guaranteed, so the Secret Service was generally considered reliable.
Jack's reason for visiting Joey was, of course, to satisfy his hulking brother.
Reacher had recently gone undercover in Abbotsville, Maine, working with several DEA agents, only to cause another major stir.
By the time Jack arrived, the operation had nearly spiraled out of control, with a DEA agent tragically killed and the involvement of the ATF due to an arms deal.
Fortunately, the matter was resolved successfully, and Reacher once again declined Jack's invitation, slept with a female DEA operations director, and then embarked on his wanderings again.
Of course, Jack wasn't there to complain. He just wanted to talk things over with Joey, tell him about his brother's recent situation, and catch up with him.
As a senator, Zoe's personal security is currently handled by the "Shangri-La" security department, which has Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) in charge, so Jack is quite relieved.
However, after Maureen became a cabinet minister, she theoretically shouldn't use her own private bodyguards, but needs to be protected by the Secret Service.
This caused trouble for Zoe and Maureen, who need some "private time" from time to time. Although same-sex couples are not uncommon nowadays, the two have no intention of making their fake relationship real. Jack still has to take care of the critical moment.
After tactfully expressing the dilemma between security and privacy for his two queens, Joey said with a smile that he would properly arrange the selection of Secret Service agents to guard the official residence and home, and leave the task of close protection for daily travel to the private bodyguards.
(End of this chapter)