Jerry had to run errands for his sickly aunt. The first task was to pick up the goods already packed for him at the grocery store. So he flagged a taxi to take him downtown. Traffic was becoming increasingly worse on the way, and Jerry kept wondering what the cause could be for his normally sleepy hometown to be overflowing with visitors.
"All these people...I wonder why they're in town," thought Jerry. The traffic would have made perfect sense, however, had Jerry known that a group of hackers covertly convening in an empty storefront nearby were manipulating traffic signals, so as to slow traffic down so they could intercept personal information from drivers' electronic devices.
"What a clown act", the cab driver mumbled to himself, "these morons are really pulling it through. Couldn't even have waited till the weekend"; "Excuse me?", Jerry inquired, "Who is pulling what through?"
It was at that very instant when a gargantuan explosion could be heard from the distance - the driver only slightly raised his eyebrows at that. Why?-- he was overwhelmed with apprehension at the sociopathic mentality behind the explosion. He brought the cab to a halt in the middle of the congested road and, with an indecipherable expression on his pale face, exited the driver's cabin. "I'll be back in a second, I have to take care of something" the driver explained. Jerry watched him as he was nonchalantly making his way across the street, meandering through the lanes which were an ocean of halted cars and their honking, annoyed occupants. In a few seconds, he was out of view.
Left alone in the back of the car, Jerry grew increasingly uncomfortable - his cellphone rang, it was his aunt. He heard his aunt on the other line,"Jerry, where are you? What's going....", then, the phone cut out.
'That's it ... no point in waiting any longer', Jerry thought, 'but hey, at least that guy drove me halfway to the store for free!' Anticipating the worst, he stepped out of the car as well. Once outside the bounds of his metal horse, Jerry's senses began to sharpen; he noticed the apprehensive expressions of those stranded around him and realized that the breakdown in technology was having wide-reaching effects.
Jerry quickly patted his hip, the reassuring metallic friend that he rarely parted with save for bathing, a Sig Sauer P226 hung in an inner waist band holster, his senses flared once more, a potential threat was making itself known. He heard fire sirens and muffled shouts from the cookie factory where the explosion must have occurred - only twenty or so minutes away from his destination, Jerry accelerated his pace.
When he arrived, he found that a group of onlookers had gathered. Elbowing his way up to the front of the crowd, he saw a gruesome sight.
"Auntie ..." he gasped, staring at the heap of thugs beneath her, some of them unconscious, others still writhing in pain; she didn't seem to mind his presence though, as she was absent-mindedly massaging her hand joints. "Ah, there you are Jerry, my boy. I was wondering where you were," she said nonchalantly. "Let's head back home, though I doubt it will do us much good to use the subway today ...", and ended that sentence with a nervous snicker.
"Jan!" Jerry's aunt smiled ahead.
"Jan!"
"All these people...I wonder why they're in town," thought Jerry. The traffic would have made perfect sense, however, had Jerry known that a group of hackers covertly convening in an empty storefront nearby were manipulating traffic signals, so as to slow traffic down so they could intercept personal information from drivers' electronic devices.
"What a clown act", the cab driver mumbled to himself, "these morons are really pulling it through. Couldn't even have waited till the weekend"; "Excuse me?", Jerry inquired, "Who is pulling what through?"
It was at that very instant when a gargantuan explosion could be heard from the distance - the driver only slightly raised his eyebrows at that. Why?-- he was overwhelmed with apprehension at the sociopathic mentality behind the explosion. He brought the cab to a halt in the middle of the congested road and, with an indecipherable expression on his pale face, exited the driver's cabin. "I'll be back in a second, I have to take care of something" the driver explained. Jerry watched him as he was nonchalantly making his way across the street, meandering through the lanes which were an ocean of halted cars and their honking, annoyed occupants. In a few seconds, he was out of view.
Left alone in the back of the car, Jerry grew increasingly uncomfortable - his cellphone rang, it was his aunt. He heard his aunt on the other line,"Jerry, where are you? What's going....", then, the phone cut out.
'That's it ... no point in waiting any longer', Jerry thought, 'but hey, at least that guy drove me halfway to the store for free!' Anticipating the worst, he stepped out of the car as well. Once outside the bounds of his metal horse, Jerry's senses began to sharpen; he noticed the apprehensive expressions of those stranded around him and realized that the breakdown in technology was having wide-reaching effects.
Jerry quickly patted his hip, the reassuring metallic friend that he rarely parted with save for bathing, a Sig Sauer P226 hung in an inner waist band holster, his senses flared once more, a potential threat was making itself known. He heard fire sirens and muffled shouts from the cookie factory where the explosion must have occurred - only twenty or so minutes away from his destination, Jerry accelerated his pace.
When he arrived, he found that a group of onlookers had gathered. Elbowing his way up to the front of the crowd, he saw a gruesome sight.
"Auntie ..." he gasped, staring at the heap of thugs beneath her, some of them unconscious, others still writhing in pain; she didn't seem to mind his presence though, as she was absent-mindedly massaging her hand joints. "Ah, there you are Jerry, my boy. I was wondering where you were," she said nonchalantly. "Let's head back home, though I doubt it will do us much good to use the subway today ...", and ended that sentence with a nervous snicker.
"Jan!" Jerry's aunt smiled ahead.
"Jan!"