What if ... it is true?

What if the Bloomberg espionage article is true and our critical infrastructure has been hacked at the hardware level by China?

What if our cellphones, personal computers and other popular electronic devices all had a tiny chip installed at the Chinese factories where big-name U.S. companies outsourced them for manufacture or assembly?

What if the executives of big-name U.S. corporations didn't know? What if they did know? What if they sold access to your info? What if that's how they got so rich and powerful?

What if the chip not only allowed monitoring, but could gain control of the device? What if information, photos or other documents could be placed on the device without your knowledge? What if all your phone calls, texts, website logins, banking info have already been recorded? What if your conversations with others are recorded, even when you are not using your phone?

What if the USS Fitzgerald Navy warship and Philippine cargo ship that collided with one another in 2017 used navigation electronics containing this chip? What if China seized control of one or both of the vessels and caused the collision? What if the collision was a test? What if the test was successful and China can gain control of our navigation and weapons systems?

What if this same chip was implanted into the control electronics on U.S. military drones operating in the Middle East? What if it allowed Chinese control over the drone's targeting or flight path? What if our drones could be used to kill someone else's enemies? What if the blame came back on us?

What if Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 flight which was lost was an earlier test? What if some of our military flight crashes were caused by someone besides the pilot gaining control of the aircraft? What if self-driving cars have the same chip?

What if the hackers weren't in China? What if another government simply paid the Chinese to install the chip? What if the hack was by another foreign government? What if the Chinese built in another back door for themselves? What if the hack was being exploited by our own government? What if it was done by rogue elements within our intelligence agencies?

What if big-tech corporate artificial intelligence programs are working together, not competing? What if all the data they collect from all the big sites across the web that detail your every key press, mouse click and social media thought is being used to create "believable bot personalities" to control public opinion and discussion in all future elections? What if big tech decides they, not the electorate, should control the world? What if they have already gained the power to make it so?

Earth's Final Kingdom, Vol IV. Inside Armageddon Story list subscribers will receive advance publication notice.