Chapter 4: Occupy Protest - The "Sysmic Blast" heralds a new beginning.

The past five days were nerve racking for Pam and the rest of the IT department. Pam was concerned about adding more cyber security and the IT department hurried to check all of the systems for residual damage. Pam went down to John’s office and found him pouring through a pile of computer data. She said they were lucky to not have suffered major damage. John looked up from his pile and said, “Lucky? This thing blew past every major safeguard in the country, so it could simply create an annoyance, and be stopped in a few hours with a simple patch? I don’t think so. It was too good to be stopped so easily. It only targeted specific corporations. Something else is going on. I just don’t know what.”At 0001 hours EST, they found out. Sysmic Blast exploded in program files all over America.   

Outside Winchester VA, at the ultra-top secret NSA facility, the Genesis mega-super computer spots a flash in the electronic spectrum. Genesis is the NSA’s mega-super computer. It was designed to look at every electronic signal in the world. It instantly determines what level threat each computer, programs, and messages are to the United States. The computer had a ceramic plate ceiling and was buried under 20 feet of granite rock with to protect it from a physical attack. Between the granite and ceramic is sandwiched a electrified plasma layer that stops any outside signal from penetrating further. Genesis does not look for 1 and 0’s in computer programs like the worlds other defensive computers. Genesis looks into the electronic DNA patterns caused by nano-fluctuations in electronic wavelengths imbedded in every electronic message. Every computer is slightly different because no two computer mother boards and circuitry are exactly the same. Miniscule differences cause nano-fluctuations to be imbedded into each message or function in a computer program and create unique wavelength patterns. With every key stroke the nano-fluctuation creates a individual signal that can be traced back to the specific computer. As the programs go through different computes its add to the wavelength and creates an electronic spectrograph patterns that can be sliced and cut to determine each computer the program touched.

 Even with the latest hacker technology that masks the patterns of 1’s and O’s the Genesis looks for the electronic spectrograph that cannot be hidden. The spectrograph pattern, once identified, sticks out like a beacon in the night. As Genesis targets the spectrograph signal it ignores everything else, therefore allowing it to be the fastest computer in the world. In a nano-second, Genesis spots the flash of the Sysmic Blast explode through several multi-national corporation main frames and takes a snapshot of the program spectrum. The computer has the ability to anticipate the possible damage to the United States government’s communication pipeline and then recommends the unthinkable: Default Delta Zulu.   

At the NSA’s situation room the Duty Officer gasped as she read the Default Delta Zulu alert. It took a few seconds to realize and grasp the impact of the alert. She immediately ordered a confirmation as she hit the “alert one” button on her computer console. Within minutes the department heads of the NSA were headed to the secure situation room deep within the NSA headquarters. As the department heads arrived, mounds of data poured in confirming the alert warning.

The directors sat in their leather chairs stunned at what they were seeing on the video screens. The head of the Cyber Terrorist Unit, Fred Chatoga, rushed in to the room and threw a pile of papers onto the large oak table top. Fred looked up and said, “This is no joke, no anomaly, it’s the real deal. “As we know, last week, a nano-program worm infiltrated several corporation main frames, specifically financial companies and others who opposed the Occupy Wall Street movement. It was quickly destroyed, but it appears it had a Trojan worm attachment that evolves and replicates itself. It appears to attach through cell phones, emails, and attacking websites. This virus is currently destroying files and electronically wiping several corporations off of the map. We do not know if we can stop all of the replications before it hits our government main frames. Therefore, I have to concur with Genesis’s recommendation Default Delta Zulu. Bob, the White House representative yelled, “We cannot disconnect the governmental mainframes. The entire government social net, Social Security checks, Food Stamps, WIC, you name it will stop. Chaos will be created; people can not survive without the services of the government”. Alexander, director of security asked, “Is this a declaration of war”? Fred quickly replied, “Is there any other kind? This will make what happened to the Iranian Nuclear Facility look like child’s play. Whoever, or whomever, did this wants to take down our way of life. As you know we don’t simply arrest these guys. The CIA has been notified. When we find out who created this worm they’ll bring in ‘Cleaners’. For now, only Genesis will stay on line. It will watch the worm and analyze where it came from. If the worm attempts to attach Genesis, it will destroy it through breaking apart the code at the sub-atomic level. The President was listening in through a secured line; after discussing all of the options stated, “Pull the Plug”.

Pam was just waking up when she heard a loud pounding on her door. Angrily she went down stairs as her butler opened the door. Sarah barged in and said, “We have to go back to the office now”. John sent me to get you and stated we lost everything. Sarah rushed to get dressed and headed to the office. As she walked into the IT department she asked, “How bad is it?” John looked up from his screen and sarcastically said, “I hope you never down loaded nude photographs or made porno movies of yourself, because they are now out there”. Pam dropped her cup of coffee and said, “Out where?” John pointed out the window and smartly replied, out there; everything is now out there. The cyber attack we had last week had a Trojan worm. Every file, on every computer, hidden or not, has now been dumped into cyber space. Worse, it attacked our financials and instantly emptied our bank accounts. It is equivalent to an instant money laundering scheme. At this point I have no idea where the money is. We are now broke.” For once, Pam felt faint, “Broke”? “The accountants will eventually be able to find the money through our banks”, Pam replied. John sat back in his chair and said, “It appears you haven’t seen the news. Our banks were also hit. Their files and back up files have also been wiped out. They are trying to save themselves; they are not worried about us now”. The Sysmic Blast had accomplished its task. 

As news began to spread about the super computer crash, people began to run to the ATM’s and banks. They wanted their money. The small local banks had not been hit, but people did not take chances. Everywhere people began to panic. No access to credit cards or bank accounts meant no one could buy anything. How many people actually carry paper money today? Cars ran out of gas, people began a run on grocery stores. Normally law abiding people began to set fires and smash windows to businesses to keep the police and fire departments occupied, while they looted supply stores preparing for the unknown. Eventually even the police officers, with the slow break down of society, slowly will begin to stay at home instead of coming to work. Their priorities are to protect their families and then their immediate neighborhoods.

On MSNBC, the commentators will claim the cyber attack was staged by the Right Wing Extremists in order to take over the government. On Foxnews, the commentators claim it was a vast Left Wing Conspiracy perpetuated by the Occupy Wall Street Protestors in order to bring down the capitalist system. Regardless, at least for now, the government was no longer able to take care of people who were use to having everyone of their needs cared for. Middle class people living in the suburbs were just as susceptible. Their lives revolved around going in their cars to the grocery stores for food and worked in offices. They are not prepared for this. The only people who hunted, fished, and knew how to make goods, with their own hands, had an edge in this new world reality. Some people will actually flourish during this time.

 Don was an avid hunter and woodworker. He begins to trade meat from animals he kills for corn and grain and other supplies he could use as commodities. Maggie  had learned how to make moonshine from the grandfather while growing up in Franklin County. Don traded for supplies, corn, grain, and sugar; while, Pam made the highly coveted liquid gold. They opened a make shift tavern in their house to sell the moonshine and meats when Don comes back from hunting trips. They rightly believed, as normal society continued to crumble people would crave alcohol and food. People with goods will trade them for moonshine and meat. Others in the community will protect the tavern from outsiders. Just like centuries before, the tavern owners became rich by supplying a service people wanted. They are protected by their local communities who did not want to loose their supply of alcohol and food. The new communities are within walking difference and are forced to reconnect and take care of one another.  In the end, the Occupy Wall Street Protestors were able to bring down the financial system and force the rebirth of living within small communities. Maggie and Don became the faces of capitalism and new wealth. They were prohibited from changing their status under the old system but became the new face of capitalism for the future. In the end, the seeds of capitalism spouted anew. The game of society needs of equality versus the biological need of superior over subordinate did not end. The game of socialism versus capitalism simply reset.