HEARTCODE

As Alyssa woke up early in the morning, the sun gleaming in her eyes through the living room window, she still feels the pounding headache that she went to bed with on arriving at her mother’s best friend’s home who lived ten blocks away from her neighborhood. Alyssa was hopeful to find her mother’s childhood friend Gail. She was praying she was alive along with her best friend Gina but there were no signs of them and both cars are gone from their driveway. That may be a good sign which means there’s a chance they are alive but where could they be. Grateful that she was at her friend’s home and had a place to sleep, she wishes she could stay here and continue to rest, but Alyssa needed to find her mom and dad. She had 50 miles to walk to the hospital.

There were no cars, all the vehicles gone or burnt. Alyssa is praying that she finds her parents and her friends because she was alone and had no guidance on the disastrous situation after the Russians hacked the United States water supply grid. Boiling the contaminated water would increase the carcinogens. People were dying and are continuing to die because no one had any awareness of the Russian hacking of the water grid. By the time the media received the news it was too late. Alyssa was always thankful for her mom always packing extra bottled water for the school.

Frantic to continue her journey to Lehigh Valley where both her parents worked, her mom is an ER physician at the hospital and her dad is a chemical engineer at ChemCorp Industries. Her parents were 50 miles away, she needed to get to the 33N highway to find 78 West and get to Cedar Crest Allentown PA location. Alyssa went into Gina’s bedroom because surely, she would have a phone laying around. There was the sticky note on the dresser mirror that said, look inside the jewelry box It’s IMPORTANT. Alyssa opened the jewelry box, and the ballerina began to spin around as the music played, I’ll always love you. She found $500 dollars wrapped around a heart locket with the pictures she and Gina took at the mall and, a cell phone with a text message that read:

Hi Alyssa,

Sorry, we aren’t home, but my mom and dad decided to take a second honeymoon vacation to Paris, and we will not be returning to the house due to the disaster that occurred with the water grid. Mom said to please keep the house keys and that there is plenty of supplies in the basement. Don’t worry about anything in the fridge if the town loses the electric power, the Generac will kick in. Make sure to secure the house and press the copper button on the keys to seal the house. This way, no looters can enter. It will zap if anyone gets too close to the house. It’s run by gas under the basement where my dad has the security system, he invented for Mullen Enterprises along with the Generac.

When you press the button stand back about 6 feet and a security metal wall will come up from the ground that will engulf the house. The house key fob controls everything in the house make sure you don’t lose the keys. Always keep the heart locket with you, and the $500 for expenses. That’s if there are any stores open, which I doubt. As we were leaving, we saw people looting, stealing supplies, and shooting at one another instead of helping, and homes were burning down.

Dad also secured a nine-millimeter handgun for you with ammo it’s on top of the kitchen cabinet next to the fridge. If you need to reach us, text mom and dad. The cell phone I left you was the new iPhone 11, I got at the mall, and the heart locket wears it and keeps it safe. The codes engraved on the back of the heart locket get it to your dad ASAP. He needs those codes to secure the water grid. Once he makes the chemical anecdote that will cleanse the water grid the FBI, CIA, CDC, HLS, DOD, EVPA, and each state water supplier and treatment plants are cooperating and working diligently to fix the contamination and water supply with your dads' help. From what the FBI said to my dad, they will be making arrests soon. Text me, please keep us posted, and stay safe.

Love you, Gina

Alyssa was relieved to have all this information and finally a cell phone with a charger. Rushing out of school with everything else going on, Alyssa left her cell phone in her locker. East Stroud HS gave an emergency evacuation, so students had no time to retrieve their belongings from their lockers. Alyssa was terrified of the current situation but had to continue to walk 50 miles and find route 33N. Alyssa got in touch with her parents to let them know she was on her way and forwarded them Gina’s text message. Alyssa was thankful Gina’s dad took them to the shooting range. She now knows how to handle a gun in any situation.

Unaware of what’s going on outside, Alyssa will come face to face with one of the Russian hackers and to her surprise, he was the adoptive brother of her classmate who was a newcomer student at Stroud HS. Before leaving the house, Alyssa made sure she had everything in the home secured, key wallet, phone with his, her, their, etc. charger, and the 9-millimeter handgun. Upon going outside, Alyssa saw her classmate Debbie with her adoptive Russian brother Mitya and his name means “Loves the Earth.”

Clearly, this dude didn’t love the earth he was a Russian hacker attending a Pennsylvania High School asking for ransom money so, the US can get control back of the water grid. Seriously, if Alyssa would’ve seen anything suspicious about him, she would’ve told the police. As the metal wall was securing the house, Mitya had an astonishing look on his face. He turned to look at Debbie’s reaction, but she didn’t look surprised because she knew her dad owned Mullen Enterprises the number one security company on the East Coast. Debbie looked back at Mitya and said, “pretty cool huh.” “What is it”? asked Mitya. “It’s high-tech security Gina’s father designed it.” Hmm ok, that must cost a lot of money said Mitya. Yes, but most of the residents in our neighborhoods can’t afford that we have other systems that would keep creeps out but that’s it.” “Anything with a password can be hacked, you know this right,” said Mitya. “Not sure big brother, I am not computer savvy” smirked Debbie.

“Hey, Alyssa how’s it going”? Where are you heading to"? “I am walking to the Lehigh Valley; I have to find 33N,” said Alyssa. “Oh, you’re walking, that would take like 8 hours or so,” said Debbie. “Yeah, well there’s no transportation most of the neighbors’ cars are gone or destroyed by looters no gas is available at gas stations everything is shut down, so I have to walk.” “Well, 33N is 2 miles down to the right on the ramp that goes towards Bangor,” said Debbie. “So where are you guys headed” asked Alyssa? “Nowhere in particular just walking around the neighborhood assessing the damage,” said Mitya.

“Would you like some company”? asked Mitya with a smirk on his face. “Umm no it’s ok, and I need to be alone to think of my future and all after graduation,” said Alyssa. “We need to see if the United States will recover from this,” said Debbie. “Well, I feel you shouldn’t go anywhere by yourself, you never know what could happen on the highway,” said Debbie. “Ok, you guys can come, but not only do we stick together but no one else can join us unless if it’s law enforcement. “Plus, those are the only vehicles, I would know for sure are safe.” “I know there’s a police station in Bangor I’m just wondering if anyone in the precinct is alive,” said Debbie. “Only one way to find out, let's go,” said Mitya. Alyssa, Debbie and, Mitya walked the 2 miles to Bangor and found no one in the police station. There was one police car parked in the lieutenants' parking spot. The keys were in the ignition. Alyssa did not alert Debbie and Mitya about the police car with the keys in the ignition, although Mitya was already sitting at the computer but doing what exactly! So, Mitya was trying to hack the software for information on the status of the ransomware but said that he wanted to see what police information looks like. Alyssa was uncomfortable with this whole situation and felt that Mitya was creepy.

While Debbie went to use the restroom, Alyssa pretended to say her goodbyes. Mitya was still hacking the computer as Alyssa was recording everything, she was recording behind a 2-way mirror inside an interrogation room. But Debbie ran out of the restroom looking for Alyssa not to leave, and then Debbie and Mitya heard the police car drive off. “What the hell”! yelled Debbie. “Why did she leave like that”? “I don’t know why she left,” said Mitya. “You were sitting right there playing with the stupid computer and you let her leave”! “Her choice,” said Mitya sarcastically. “You’re absolutely good for nothing Mitya”! yelled Debbie.

That last statement from Debbie struck a chord on Mitya and he blew his temper ripping the computer out of the wall socket and throwing it against the wall hitting the 2-way mirror. He realized he couldn’t let her get too far in the police car, so he needed to calm down and hack the police car computer to slow her down. Debbie was too upset and left the police station to return home leaving Mitya behind at the police station. While Alyssa was driving, the GPS said she would reach her destination in 15 minutes. Great! she thought almost there.

She had everything recorded on her phone to show the FBI agents that he could be one of the ransomware hackers. The police vehicle was slowing down what is going on it says the full tank! Alyssa thought. “Oh my God, seriously this did not just happen the car stopped! “It turned off! Damn it”! Calling her parents frantically on the phone, “mom dad can you hear me”? “Yes, honey we can hear you.” “Where are you”? said her parents. “I just got off the highway 78West Cedar Crest Blvd,” said Alyssa. “Ok, you are very close just jog over here”! said her parents.

Alyssa reached the emergency room where her mom greeted her and said her father was running over to get the code from the heart locket. “OMG, finally mom Mitya Debbie’s adopted brother he’s the ransomware dude”. “I recorded him on the cell look”! said Alyssa. As they were both looking at the evidence, Alyssa’s dad walked into the ER with 6 agents. They already had the information on Mitya and his Twin brother who resided in Michigan with another family. Meanwhile, in Bangor at the police station, Mitya thought he had everything under control when he stopped Alyssa in the police car.

Alyssa handed over the heart locket to the agents and her dad they all left to use the codes that would fix the water grid problem. The FBI agents had Mitya’s location. They sent FBI agents in helicopters to Bangor to make the arrest. The Russian twins were arrested but there was still a lot of work into securing the system so this fact wouldn’t occur again. We have the most sophisticated computers and internet in the world, but it was the man that invented it and it will take a man to destroy the internet infrastructure along with sustaining components that run the United States.