Zero Day_ A Novel - Mark Russinovich [132]
Working from home had been their dream. Black had to admit it was pretty good. It sure beat the daily commute and that boss he’d had. What a jerk! But now it was all in their hands, though if these numbers were correct, it was looking as if they’d made the right call. The key to the company’s success was the lack of an inventory and all the associated costs. It had taken him an entire year to figure that part out. Now he took the orders online, placed his own order with the wholesaler for direct shipment to the customer, then processed the charge. Smooth. The computer made it all possible.
Not that it had been as easy as that in the beginning. He’d had to make many modifications to the software to get it to do what their novelty business required, but that speed bump was behind them. Everything was going to be just fine. Black sat back with a sense of satisfaction.
His computer screen flickered, then turned blue and read:
Rebooting …
A moment later the screen blinked again, read:
NO OPERATING SYSTEM FOUND.
Then turned dark.
Black stared in amazement. He’d never seen anything like it. He killed the power bar, waited, then turned it back on. His attempt at rebooting went nowhere. He tried it repeatedly with no luck. His computer was dead.
Jeez, he thought, what am I going to do tomorrow? I won’t receive, let alone be able to process, any orders. And what about the family photos? “Hell,” he said aloud with sudden comprehension, “what about our financial records and the software?”
He stared at the screen again, as if seeking an answer, his chest beginning to constrict with panic.
CHICAGO-O’HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
12:01 A.M.
Air traffic controller Byron Smith took in the screen with a single practiced sweep. He could close his eyes and place every airplane on the screen exactly. What’s more, he could tell you where’d they’d all be in one minute. As he often told Carla at home, his mind was the best computer of all.
Chicago-O’Hare was one of the busiest airports in the world, and the second busiest in the United States, with more than twenty-six hundred flights daily. Frankly, with their antiquated software, Smith thought it amazing they could juggle so many flights. Still, he enjoyed the challenge and had more than once been called upon to exercise his considerable mental dexterity when the system had become overloaded and sluggish.
This was not an especially busy time for the airport. He didn’t like working nights anyway, and the undemanding work only caused the hours to drag. This was also the time when the techs tended to update the software, and that did not always go without a hitch.
“Stand by!” their supervisor called out. “Any second now.”
Smith had been told this was a minor update. He shouldn’t even notice it, so when the screen blinked, he smiled. So much for techs and their so-called expertise. Then the screen went blue, then black. They were down.
Others shouted while Smith waited. Nothing. He closed his eyes and visualized the planes he’d been monitoring, placing them in their ever-changing locations. The other controllers were now screaming at the supervisor, who was on the telephone, cursing.
“Send them elsewhere!” he shouted. “Emergency landings only. They have no idea what’s going on. Careful now. But clear the sky.”
Calmly, Smith hit the SEND button and began speaking. “United Flight 145, this is O’Hare. Please divert to another airport. We cannot land you. Thank you. American Airlines Flight 334, this is O’Hare. Please divert to another airport.”
Throughout the control room the other controllers were talking to their planes as the supervisor continued screaming into his headset.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
12:01 A.M.
Mike Ruiz glanced at his wristwatch, then looked up at the fourteen robots doing their awkward dance. He’d taken over for the recently deceased Buddy once the line was declared ready, and for the last two weeks assembly had