Hacking the Sun - The Re-Remake

Chapter 7 Epistemology1/3

Streams of code passed the screen. Access Granted read the words. "'I'm just the woman in the middle of a complicated plan'," she mumbled. If only the song could stay the shivers.

TNN had suffered a break in its poor encryption algorithm. The peculiarity behind the hack, it seemed pre-installed. Lacking a rootkit, Jess thought. Weirdly enough, Spearhead's cyber-warfare program was present but disabled. As soon as she restored functionality, the system found traces of the virus from days earlier. Eventually, she used the files on her flash drive, specifically the one titled 'Ultimate Top Secret.'

"Do it, Babel."

A goliath employee shot upright. "TNN's regained control of their systems!"

"Did we get in?" stammered David.

"I don't know, but the entire network is being overridden! My access got denied!" Nearly every pair of eyes turned to the woman addressing David.

"What are you saying?" he interrogated.

"If another virus wasn't dormant, a new firmware has arrested control."

After unraveling the hidden data, Jessica observed the computer screen zoom into a top-down view of Earth, specific coordinates within the Anglo-alliance. The North American map shrunk until she saw the entire plan of New Sumer, its districts followed by scattered buildings individually marked by red dots. She automatically counted seven, pulling up and transmitting each unique address to whomever it concerned. Her fingers suddenly stiffened.

"No..."

An engineer's hand shot up in the next room. "I got something!"

"What did you find?" David jumped.

"Theoretical solutions, at best," Malvis said dismissively. Ignoring him, David tread to the man's terminal.

"It's a map!" the engineer clarified.

"Same here!" said another.

"Coordinates!"

Like a domino effect, hands across the silicon corridors lifted with voices and 3D holograms. Their terminals supplemented their excitement with new data. Thus, Malvis paced across the room, panning over the green lights in disbelief. 

"Who is forwarding this data?" he said.

David nearly lost himself in the images. "A map... and locations, so—"

"Director!" interrupted another employee. "I think these are directly connected to the countdown!"

"Where are they?"

Quickly and independently, Goliath's people transmitted the addresses through every viable channel. If NSS, EMTs, or even rent-a-cops made use of it, the targeted domiciles could stand a chance. Against what? They had yet to piece that together.

"3534 West Poppy!"

"Alert emergency responders!" said David.

"I shall forward the data!" added Malvis, pulling up his holo-brace. "Asgard units can deploy without delay."

"9600 Lily Street. Sanctuary Apartments," another voice shouted.

"Don't stop!"

"1347 street; corner of Myrrh and Tundra: Pine Rim Hovels!"

"Exceptional, director," said Malvis. "At least one of your subordinates may have saved lives today. I look forward to their future within Goliath." The Azarean conceded the floor and departed with relative haste.