The Nothing (39 page)

“Doctor
, I know all this was discussed. I don’t know if I am alone in how I feel with this. But please, don’t upload the software. A new world must take shape. It would benefit everyone and especially me. You know that I can’t go back out there unless things have changed. Turning everything back on would bring everything back to the way it was.” Jeff’s rage caused him to shake with each word he spoke. Several people watched and worried that he might accidentally fire a shot. “You, I and everyone working for you will be a failure. No one will learn anything. You will ruin everything that you and I stand for.”

Dr. Abernathy attempted to put a
calming hand on Jeff’s shoulder, but he slapped it away. “Don’t touch me you hypocrite!”

“Jeff how am I a hypocrite?
I think you failed to understand what I was trying to do here. You, of all people, should understand what I was doing. We have fantastic results. Data that many people collected during observations. I, for one, was on the streets of Washington D.C. noting what I was seeing. Results will show people the error of their ways. Sure, the option of never returning wireless communications was on the table. It was my bargaining chip. We had hoped to not have to go that route. I for one, as much as I am against the current undisciplined use of technology, find that taking a toy from a child isn’t necessarily going to teach that child how to be responsible with that toy. We must train people to put technology in its proper place within their lives. That is what I have always wanted and…”

“Oh
shut the fuck up!” Jeff yelled so loud that his voice cracked. Rage had boiled over. President Moore badly wanted the code put in. This waiting game reminded him of how he felt waiting to see the results of his Presidential election. Everyone wanted the code put in. A few didn’t, but Jeff was the only one addressing it.

“You will not input the code
.”

“Oh yes I am Jeff.”

“I’ll be damned if you do.”

“What are you going to do?
Shoot me? There is nowhere to run. This has to happen!”

The back of Dr. Abernathy’s head exp
loded in a bloody mess blanketing the table behind him. Blood puddle on the keys on his laptop where the code would have been entered causing it to seize up and inadvertently, causing the new software to self-destruct. Immediately, the commandos shot Jeff, who fell to the ground with eighteen bullet holes in his body.

All anyone could do was stand there as several commandos from each side
swarmed to the two dead men. The Secret Service team leader came up to the President, “Their both dead sir.” The magnitude of what just happened hit everyone. The Attorney General walked quickly to President Moore, “Mr. President, is it possible that the code or a software could exist anywhere else?” Chief Scientist Jung spoke in a stern, yet soft voice, “Dr. Abernathy’s code died with him. It exists nowhere. The virus cannot be disabled.”

“Godd
ammit!” Attorney General White went to where Dr. Jung was standing. “Cannot be disabled you say?” White moved his face closer in front of Dr. Jung's and yelled, “Where did you say you were from?” Jung, in a somewhat morbid manner, smiled and said, “I’m came straight from North Korea. I signed on with Dr. Abernathy after I had finished working with the Iranians.” White giggled a garlic tinged breath into Jung’s face.

“What’s to keep me from arresting you and putting you in the electric chair?”

“Well Attorney General White, if you do that, then how can I help you get the signals back on?”

“What?”

President Moore
faintly hearing what Dr. Jung said, immediately speed walked to the two men, knocking over chairs and alarming his guards. “What do you mean Mr. Jung? You don’t need Dr. Abernathy’s code?”

Jung
stepped back with a victorious ease and sat on the edge of the table behind him. “Oh Dr. Abernathy’s code would have been useful. But in anticipation of that code being compromised, and the discovery of my associations around the world, I made sure to have a backup software developed and in place. This of course was without Dr. Abernathy’s knowledge.”

President Moore turned around thrashing his hands to the sky.
There have been enough surprises for him in the last week to last him a lifetime. “Awesome! They have terrorists working here! I want everyone here placed under arrest.”

Making
a smacking sound with his lips and waving his finger back and forth, Dr. Jung said, “Making arrests will not solve your problems Mr. President. It will only make them worse.”

With the fervor of an argumentative preacher, President Moore
asked, “Oh yeah? How do you figure that?” Dr. Jung stood, as a man with pride and accomplishment stands to be recognized. “Don’t you want the communications back up, the TV’s to work again, or to call your wife with your cell phone?” Attorney General White signaled to President Moore to be silent. Looking into Jung’s eyes, the Attorney General asks, “Yes we want everything to work again. What are you asking for?”

“You will need to contact the governments of
Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. They will tell you what is required of you. Once those requirements have been satisfied, they will assist in restoring communications. You of course will initially deny their requirements, but believe me as I say this, you will have no choice. Plus I require safe passage back to Pyongyang.” Feeling a bit intimidated and full of dread, President Moore had to ask, “What would be their requirements?” Jung’s stone-faced demeanor began to scare him.

“I know of two.
And they are Non-negotiable; the transfer of all American nuclear weapons to Russian soil; the transfer of all American territories to the jurisdictional control of China. For North Korea, the transfer of South Korea, Japan and surrounding Islands, the Philippines and Indonesia to their possession. For their friends in Iran, they would require control of Israel, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. That is all that I have been apprised of. More will be conveyed once you have contacted them. The United States is now going to be held accountable for decades of occupation, world economic manipulation, and the many sanctions imposed on countries around the world when they didn’t bow down to your will. You can only bully the world for so long before they rise up and fight back. How do you Americans say it? Payback’s a bitch!”

President Moore walked away from
Jung and with his head hanging low, moving like a zombie towards the front doors from which they came in. “I think it is time we head back to Washington. This didn’t work out.” Attorney General White yelled, “Wait Mr. President.” Pointing a finger in Jung’s face, “I think the United States Government will take its chances and figure this out ourselves. You will burn for this Jung, I promise.” Attorney General White walks to President Moore and takes his arm. “Listen Mr. President, we have the top engineers and scientists in the world working for us. Lets use their expertise. We don’t need to negotiate or bow down to this terrorism. We can defeat all of our enemies and make them pay for this attack!”

Dr.
Jung then made something clear. “Oh, I forgot to mention. I made sure to preserve wireless communication in North Korea, Russia, China, Iran and their allies while working for Dr. Abernathy. I developed separate software for their systems that would block the virus we sent out. All of their servers, cellular systems, every radio hub, every plane and even every two-way radio; all have been operational this whole time.” Dr. Jung clasped his hands and interlocked his fingers. He appeared to be somewhat emotional as he made his next announcement.

“
And it is my pleasure to announce to you at this moment, and with pride and joy, North Korea and Iran have over one hundred warships thirty miles out from each coast of the United States. They have logistical and air support from the Russian and Chinese governments. Eight hundred thousand soldiers are waiting impatiently for the command to invade. With many more troops soon to follow. They hope to invade and rip your country to shreds. That is what they really want because they are angry and tired of the United States of America being the world bully. It would be an invasion that would be in a matter of minutes. They have been watching and listening the whole time. They have seen the chaos and the spoiled brats of America tearing up their own cities. They have been laughing and enjoying the mere stupidity and selfishness that the American people ooze anytime they are inconvenienced. And last but not least, if Jeff hadn’t shot the Doctor, I or several others here, would have. My friends overseas have been patiently waiting and preparing for this. I suggest you give them a call and negotiate the terms of your surrender.”

Attorney General
White was still resistant. “Surrender? There hasn’t even been a war. Why would we even consider that?”

“Because
you have eight hundred thousand troops surrounding your borders ready to invade at any time! If you do not call, if you do not honor their requirements, they will come flying, sailing, marching in and destroy you. You are going lose your country either way. How bloody it gets is up to you.”

Never has such a helpless feeling been so pervasive in the leadership of the United States of America.
Their enemies had found a way in. The so-called richest and most powerful nation on Earth was at the mercy of the most dangerous regimes on the planet, and two of them use to be American allies. Dr. Jung held out his hand toward the building’s front entrance. “I think it is time that you, the President, and all of your men, get back on your plane. And while you are on your way back home, think about making those phone calls. They are prepared and ready to attack. You might only have a few hours left because the plan is to attack tonight. If you do not call them and surrender, then tomorrow America ceases to exist.”

For the first time in the h
istory of the United States, the leaders of the nation ran. Ran with their tails between their legs. On the somber flight back to Washington, not a single viable idea was hatched. A loss of control was the feeling shared amongst everyone on the plane. Thirty minutes from landing, not an idea, but a dreadful realization came to the President.

How can we call North Korea
, Iran, Russia or China to stop this, if our phones aren’t working?