6 |

Off the coast of Pico Island, Azores

 

Gavin Thatcher frowned as he pressed the button, the computer installed only recently on their boat immediately placing a scrambled call through a satellite orbiting far above them, the system then bouncing the signal around the globe, effectively making the call untraceable.

And it was technology he despised.

Technology, specifically communications technology, was responsible for the ills of the world today. Populations were split between left and right, with positions so entrenched, that they considered the other side evil and idiotic in any debate. Gone were the days of intelligent discourse, because anonymity over the cursed Internet allowed pile-on justice to prevail, with careers and dreams destroyed, businesses taken down, all by misinformed useful idiots hiding behind their smartphones.

Now there’s something that should never have been invented.

And it extended beyond the borders of the modern states. Technology was allowing cultures to mix that simply weren’t compatible. Gone were the days when someone left their homeland for a better life, then integrated and became part of the melting pot that was their new home. Now, with technology, one never had to say goodbye to family or friends in the old country, could listen to the same radio stations, watch the same television shows, and read the same newspapers, without even bothering to learn the language of your new home. And then when asked to integrate, those same useful idiots would pile on and claim those asking were racists for doing so.

All because of technology.

It was destroying the world. Some might call him a Luddite, but he didn’t shun all technology. Much of it was passive and contributed to the betterment of mankind, like medical technology. It was communications technology that was the true evil, but until recently, there was little his band of true believers could have done about it.

But several months ago, when he had met the man he was waiting to be connected to, for the first time in his life he truly had hope. What they were preparing to do wouldn’t change the world, not today, but it might make people realize just how dependent they had become on modern communications technology, and just how vulnerable it was to attack. It was their hope this would stimulate conversations among those so dependent upon the Internet, that perhaps they might come out from behind their screens and actually talk to their neighbor about something, rather than rant to the like-minded on the social media sites they frequented, social media sites that filtered the news and posts they saw to only match their beliefs.

It would be a long, hard fight, but before the day was out, the beginning of the end could well be underway.

The system beeped and a silhouetted figure appeared, the voice and image of their benefactor never having been revealed to anyone else since their initial meeting. It made him nervous, though it didn’t matter. His pockets were deep, and because of him, they were almost there.

“Thatcher. You have an update?”

“Yes, sir, and I’m afraid it’s bad news. We’ve had an earthquake here and it buried the device. We’re digging it out now, but it could take hours, maybe even until tomorrow.”

There was a pause, and if a silhouette could look displeased, this one did. “That’s unfortunate. If this is to succeed, we need total coverage.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Contact me as soon as you’re finished.”

“Yes, sir.”

The system went dark and he sighed, his heart pounding like it always did when dealing with the man. He didn’t trust him, but trust wasn’t necessarily required. His money had been there when needed, and as far as he knew, every single device was in place along the entire European seaboard except for one, and he was responsible. Though that would be resolved shortly.

Then a message would be sent the world couldn’t ignore.