Digital Winter

by Mark Hitchcock

  Jeremy leaned closer. Amid the symbols and programming language were two words: Eli Shade. Jeremy muttered the words. Donny shuddered.

  “What’s an Eli Shade?” Stanley asked.

  “It’s a name.” Jeremy leaned back in the chair. “Hackers and people who write viruses and digital worms are often arrogant. They like to include a signature in the code. It’s always a pseudonym.”

  “Why would they do that, sir?” Irwin moved closer to look over Jeremy’s shoulder.

  “It’s digital graffiti, a way of bragging without signing your identity.” He studied the name. “I don’t recognize it. Eli Shade. Odd name. Shade…shadow…I wonder if this is what Donny means by shadow.” He tapped his chin with a finger. “Why Eli? Eli is a variation of a Hebrew name: El—one of the names of God.” Jeremy wondered if Israel had been behind this as many assumed they were Stuxnet. Of course, that had never been proved.

  Jeremy began to think aloud. “Eli Shade. Eli Shadow. El is often translated ascended. Name of God. God’s Shadow? Who would call himself God’s Shadow?” He didn’t expect an answer. He didn’t have one. He did, however, have a feeling.

  A very, very bad feeling.

  Jeremy studied the file. It was as elegant as it was ingenious. “I need to compare this to other captured infections. Most were wiped out when the EM pulse hit. I assume that was the idea.” Jeremy was thinking aloud.

  “Sir, are you saying someone in this family is responsible for everything that’s gone on? For the outages? The end of technology? The starvation and riots and—”

  “Stow that, sailor. Am I clear?”

  “Crystal, sir.”

  “Good.” Jeremy turned to Royce. “Ma’am, does your son travel?”

  Eli Shade knew how to make an entrance. Liam had to give him credit for that. The thing liked to appear behind Liam and clear his throat. Liam always jumped. Shade always laughed. This time, however, he dropped the theatrics and merely manifested in the middle of Liam’s office, a few feet from where Pierce sat. Pierce squealed, jumped up, and backpedaled.

  “One of these days you’re going to give me a heart attack.” Pierce patted his chest.

  “It won’t be your heart that kills you, Mr. Pierce.” Shade’s voice seemed deeper, darker, more ominous.

  Pierce opened his mouth as if ready to ask what the comment meant but then decided against it. A moment later, another shadow figure appeared at Shade’s side. Shade looked mostly human, but this creature didn’t. Empty eyes, gaping mouth. Pierce took two more steps back.

  Liam took the lead. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “I have something to share with you, Mr. Burr. We need to talk.” Shade smiled.

  Liam stood. “Very well.” He rounded his desk where he had been sitting. “Will the seating area be adequate?”

  “No. I’ll meet you on the roof.”

  “The roof?” Liam said.

  Shade and his sidekick disappeared.

  “This is new,” Pierce said. “Why the roof?”

  “I’ll let you ask him that.” Liam donned his suit coat and started for the office door.

  A gentle wind blew from the west, sending invisible fingers through Liam’s hair. At least he hoped it was the wind. He had seen too many invisible things over the past eight months. The thought chilled him.

  Shade and his friend were waiting for the two. Shade’s face was difficult to read—it wasn’t quite human enough. Liam and Pierce crossed the concrete roof to the parapet. The hum of the ventilation system provided the evening’s night music.

  “The roof, Signore Shade? I’m puzzled.” Liam sounded calmer than he felt.

  “We’re taking a little trip. This is easier than dragging you through a pane of glass.” Shade’s grin was sardonic.

  “I appreciate that. Where are we—”

  Shade was on him in a moment. Before Liam could draw a breath he was airborne, held in the clutches of the ghoul. He wanted to scream but held his voice. Pierce didn’t.

  The streets of Brussels scrolled beneath him. The hour was late, but the city was still busy. Citizens continued to enjoy the return of food and power. He had no idea of their speed. Wind whipped around his head, but Liam had learned he could not trust his senses when Shade was around. He was helpless and decided passivity as his best course of action. When a man can’t do what he wants, it is sometimes wise to do nothing.

  The city gave way to dark rolling hills, countryside Liam didn’t recognize. He turned his gaze and saw a small mountain in the near distance. He guessed that was their destination.

  He was right.

  Shade set him down gently on the apex of the mountain. Liam felt grass beneath his feet. The mountain couldn’t be very tall if grass could grow on its peak—assuming the mountain existed at all.

  “Better than our last flight, Signore Burr?” Shade asked.

  “Much better. Thank you.”

  “I have a different point to make this time.”

  Liam could hardly wait.

  Pierce and his escort settled next to Liam.

  Shade placed his hands behind his back. “I appreciate your willingness to meet with me on such short notice.”

  You must be kidding.

  Shade glanced over his shoulder at Liam as if he had heard the thought. “We are making fine progress, thanks to you two. You have done admirable work and have saved countless lives, but more work remains. Many are still dying from lack of food and safe water. Chaos covers most of the planet. For the world to heal, things must change.”

  “Much has already changed,” Liam said. “I take it you have some specific…suggestions.”

  “I do.” Shade turned to Liam. “I offer you the world.” He made a gesture, and the lights of a thousand cities pushed away the darkness of the valleys below. Lights twinkled like diamonds in a jewelry case—yellow, white, gold. The valleys looked encrusted with gems.

  “The world?” Liam had to work to get the words out. The vision before him was stunning.

  “The world needs a new leader. A single leader.” Shade moved closer to Liam. “There are more than 190 countries in the world, Liam, each with its own leader, each with its own idea of how people should live. Some cooperate with others, but most don’t. Fear, jealousy, border disputes, food distribution, water, and one hundred thirteen other factors lead to wars and rumors of wars.”

  “One hundred and thirteen—”

  “Do you doubt me, Signore Burr?”

  “No. Of course not. The number is new to me, that’s all.”

  “I know the facts, Liam. Better than you. I have made a study of humanity for…well, a very long time.” Shade again turned his attention to the horizon of jewels. “You humans work from the wrong motives. You emphasize the individual instead of the entire fabric of human existence. The French dislike the British; the British hate the French. African nations war with each other. Criminals form alliances to attack the very society that makes their existence possible. In good years, 30,000 people, mostly children, die of starvation. More die from bad water or lack of simple medicine, and the world is fine with that. No one cares. Your race acts like cattle in a herd, fish in a school, birds in a flock, caring only for what happens that day. The future is a mere philosophical construct at best, an afterthought at worst. Do you agree?”

  Liam thought it best to do so. “Yes.”

  “What your world needs is a leader. A single leader. You have seen what happens when a global crisis occurs. Countries immediately blame others. Cooperation ceases. Each turns to its leaders, believing they will provide the answer when in reality they are children playing with dynamite. Children. Yes, a good metaphor.”

  Shade stepped to Liam’s side and put his arm around his shoulders. It felt cold. “Children cannot survive on their own. They need the strength and wisdom of their parents. That is what this world needs—a parent. You, my human friend, are that parent, that father.”

  “Parent to the world? NUTO is difficult en
ough to manage.”

  “And it is that kind of tiny thinking that keeps the world on the eve of destruction. Have I not given you food when you were hungry?”

  “Yes. You’ve been very kind.”

  “Have I not given you riches far beyond what anyone can imagine?”

  That was true. Liam had no need for more wealth, but he had been willing to take it.

  “Yes.”

  “Have I not given you great power?”

  “Indeed you have.”

  “And why have I done these things? Because, my friend, you have done everything I ask. You have followed me, and I have given you food and power. Now I offer all the cities of the world.” He squeezed Liam’s shoulder hard enough to make the joint hurt. “You follow me, and the world will follow you. You can be the savior of this planet.”

  “There will be resistance,” Liam said.

  “Of course. There always is. I will help you deal with that. I will show you what you need to do. I will deal with your enemies. I will make you messiah to the world.”

  “May I ask what you get out of all this?” Liam asked.

  “Satisfaction, my dear Liam, satisfaction.” He gazed skyward. “There’s someone I want to hurt.”

  Liam couldn’t raise the courage to ask who that might be.

  “Liam Burr, I have brought you to this high mountain to show you the world I offer. All you must do is follow me. Will you do so?”

  Liam looked around him. The sight was beautiful and the offer compelling. The world could benefit from a single leader, one who could put an end to the troubles. One willing to bring every country into line. If not him, then Shade would cast him off like a sandwich wrapper and choose someone else. The loss would be too great.

  He raised his head. “Yes, Mr. Shade. I accept.”

  Shade smiled. It was frightening. “Mr. Pierce will be by your side. He will be the Aaron to your Moses.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Don’t underestimate him, Mr. Burr. Every messiah needs a prophet.”

  Jeremy made arrangements for an aircraft that could accommodate the Elton family, Rosa, and all of Donny’s computers. Because Rosa was Donny’s nurse, Jeremy thought it best to bring her. He promised to do his best to locate her husband. Rosa said she hadn’t heard from him in eight months and feared the worse. He had been transporting canned goods to Atlanta when the lights went out.

  To his parents’ surprise, Donny didn’t resist when Jeremy started to dismantle the computer setups. In fact, he looked pleased.

  The C-23 Sherpa, a small prop-driven transport aircraft, was comfortable but slower than the fighter jet. With a range of a little more than 700 miles, the craft had to refuel several times on its journey across the country. Happy to have a plane that could still fly, Jeremy made no complaints. They wouldn’t arrive in Maryland until the wee hours. Jeremy had planned to sleep on the flight, but sleep wouldn’t come. Donny, however, slept the sleep of the heroic.

  In the dark thirty-seat cabin, Stanley asked the question Jeremy knew he would. “General, are we really to blame for what happened in the world? Have people suffered and died because of us?”

  It took a moment before Jeremy could answer. “I don’t know, Mr. Elton. The early form of the worm is on Donny’s computers. His computers and your condo were not affected. That looks suspicious.”

  “But Donny isn’t capable of doing such a thing. He doesn’t see the world the way we do.” Royce had been in tears most of the day.

  “Perhaps that’s the problem, Mrs. Elton. He didn’t know what he was doing. Still…something doesn’t ring true. I wonder if someone used him and his genius. Maybe gave him the Stuxnet worm and let him play with it.”

  “I’ve never heard of Stuxnet, and neither my wife nor I are capable of writing such a complex piece of software.”

  They could be lying, Jeremy thought, but for some reason he believed them. He wondered about the name he found in the code. Eli Shade…a hacker’s nickname? Each time he thought of it he felt disquiet.

  “What will happen to us?” Royce asked.

  “I’ve set up a place for you to stay at Fort Meade. USCYBERCOM is located there, as is the NSA. They’re going to want to go over the code line by line, and that will take some time, even for a team. It’s extremely complicated.”

  “So we’re prisoners?”

  “You’ll be staying on base in one of the officer homes for visiting dignitaries, not a prison cell.”

  “Are we free to leave at will?” Stanley pushed.

  Jeremy hated saying it. “No. But I’ll make sure you’re comfortable, and you will not have to worry about food.”

  “I suppose that’s good,” Royce said.

  “Look, I don’t know how this will work out. It’s not up to me. Just continue to be honest and straightforward.”

  “Do we need a lawyer?” Stanley asked.

  “That’s a good question. Are there still attorneys?”

  The flight continued with little conversation.

  Jeremy was travel weary and glad to be back home even though home was deep below Mount Weather. Now that Roni was with him most days, home seemed the right word. With Roni and now Cody, a tent in the desert was home. He was looking forward to a hug, a kiss, and a bit of sleep before reporting to the president.

  Roni waited outside their small apartment. Her eyes hinted at a story she didn’t want to tell.

  “It’s early, even for a doctor,” Jeremy said. He retrieved his hug and kiss. “I assume Cody is in bed.”

  “Yes, sleeping like a rock.”

  “He may be the smartest of us all. You’re not going to believe what I uncovered in San Diego.”

  Roni smiled and it looked as if the act took effort. “We need to talk, babe.”

  He didn’t like the sound of her voice. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s the president.” She poured out the story like a faucet streaming water.

  The news was a punch to Jeremy’s middle. The months had brought the president and Jeremy close. He doubled over, propping himself up with his hands on his knees. He fought the urge to vomit and the almost irresistible desire to curl up on the floor and weep. Instead he straightened, took a deep breath, put his arm around his wife, and entered their apartment, the day’s success a distant memory.

  EPILOGUE

  Jeremy and Roni stepped from their officer’s home at Fort Meade. After spending slightly more than a year living below grade, returning to a house, small as it was and situated on a military base, was a pleasure. They decided to stay at Fort Meade for several reasons. First, Jeremy’s work with USCYBERCOM was still much more than a nine-to-five job. He didn’t keep track of the hours he worked. He didn’t have time. Second, their home in College Park had suffered extensive damage from looters. Much of DC was still unsafe. Jeremy couldn’t focus if he had to worry about Roni and Cody’s safety. As it was, every time Roni went to DC to do hospital rounds and surgery, he had to release her into the hands of God. Fortunately, the military provided security for the facility, and Roni always traveled with two armed soldiers. The same was true for other doctors who still needed transportation from home to the hospital and back.

  The air this morning was sweet and cool. January had come around again and with it a more stable world, at least in appearance. Communications between countries had improved, which was good for the most part. Still, disturbing reports from central Europe trickled through. The members of NUTO thrived more than their counterparts in almost unbelievable ways.

  President Grundy had taken the reins of leadership in a steel grip. He was no Barlow, but he didn’t lack for confidence and focus. He made his goal clear: Bring the United States back to its previous glory. Jeremy wondered if that was possible.

  President Barlow’s body had been treated in the small mortuary in Mount Weather and kept in a simple coffin stored in a cold room. He was buried in Arlington Cemetery on Christmas Day. The service had been recorded and would be broadcast when e
nough television stations were functioning again.

  Radio and newspapers became more important because they took less work to resurrect. They were nothing like they were before the Event, but it was a start.

  The Eltons lived on base. Few knew their connection to the Event. Donny was proving useful. Though he seldom spoke, he made his ideas clear in programming language. With his help, Slipper became even more secure, as did networked computers. In the years ahead, the rebuilding of the Internet might rest on the man-boy’s work. It took a team of six to decipher what he wrote. That team included Jeremy.

  Roni stepped on the porch. She held a mug of coffee. “Beautiful day. The sky is so blue.”

  “That’s because air travel is still limited. Less pollutants in the air.”

  “I suppose, or the sky could just be pretty because it wants to be.”

  “Why, Dr. Matisse, you’re still a hopeless romantic.”

  “Someone’s got to do it.” She took a sip. “Cody is getting his shoes on. He’ll be out in a moment.”

  “I’ve got to get that kid to stop calling me General. It’s respectful and I appreciate it, but it doesn’t seem right.”

  “You could ask him to call you something else, like Dad.”

  “Dad?” He chuckled. “You think he’d go for that?”

  Roni nodded. “I think so. Why don’t you ask him?”

  “I think I will.” Jeremy’s smile faded. He looked into the distance, over the buildings and roads that made up Fort Meade.

  Roni took his hand. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Just thinking.”

  “Nothing, eh? I’m a doctor and a woman. You can’t lie to me. Spill it.”

  He shrugged. “Just thinking about the future.”

  “That always depresses you. You know, most people think the worst is over.”

  Jeremy shook his head. “People are still dying because of this thing, and the more I know about the changes in the world, the more I think the worst is yet to come.”