Black Book Protocol

Only an hour has passed since my night shift ended. My mind keeps wandering back to the hospital. A distinct redolent of sanitizer lingers, despite the diner’s obtuse aroma of grease and coffee. As sleep deprivation creeps in, all I can think about is how much death and trauma this terrible pandemic is causing. What seems like seconds ago, I was scrambling to save another elderly patient from the virus. The look on her face still fresh, tears of fear pooling as I watched the life fade from her eyes. Masked strangers, a cacophony of panicked alarms and the rhythmic mechanical hissing of the ventilator were the last things she experienced. As I escape the memory and slip back to the present, I find myself staring down at a cold plate of runny eggs and damp toast.

Lost in my meandering thoughts, the chaotic clamor of the diner’s loud atmosphere dulls. As my senses normalize, I find myself apathetically watching the old television nestled in the upper corner above my booth. Tailored newscasters with perfect teeth spew rhetoric of economic growth, over concerns of the spreading viral variants. Although financial disparity is spiraling out of control, they report that stock prices are at an all time high. Mocking grins plastered over their hollow faces trigger overwhelming feelings of rage and anger in me. Pain in my hand alerts me as I realize I’m violently clutching my fork. I promptly release my grip and feel the blood rush back into the pale imprinted creases in my hand.

Before the froth of fury has a chance to consume me I’m brought back to reality by a familiar voice. Over the smacking and chewing of her cinnamon gum, Darla asks in a loving but coarse tone, “Hey, hun, can I top off your coffee? Is there anything else I can get'ch ya?” Relieved by her sudden questions I reply, “Umm.. Ah.. No, no. It’s okay Darla, I’m fine. Just the bill, thanks... It’s been a long night.”

Darla says she’ll be right back with the bill. After the diner, I think I’ll head to the park. Maybe if I feed the pigeons and get some fresh air, it’ll help me unwind. A minute later, Darla drops the bill off at my table with a motherly toothless smile, “Thanks sweetie, see ya tomorrow? Same time?” I nod with a smirk and leave a decent tip as I don my old brown coat. The bell jingles on the diner door as it swings open revealing the busy city street. Clammy autumn air fills my lungs and I swiftly pull a cigarette from my nearly empty pack. I light the smoke, take the first sweet drag and make my way to the park.

As I walk, I ponder, and the burden of suffering weighs me down. I try to forget last night; as spurring feelings of guilt churn deep within my guts. Exhaling a bluish cloud of tobacco smoke, I feel the sharp sensation of my knuckles burning. Instinctively I drop the smoldering butt and realize I smoked it down to the filter. I must be stressed. Trying to keep from falling into my own thoughts is proving more difficult each day. Inevitable feelings of depression cloud my mind. I turn the corner and to my reprieve, the vast green space of the park welcomes me with tranquility. Not a moment too soon. I just need to grab some bread for the birds and another pack of smokes for me.

Conveniently across from the park and under my apartment, is Moe’s, the local corner store. I swing in swiftly and grab what I need before crossing the street to scout for a vacant bench near some pigeons. A fresh, cool breeze picks up as I enter past the old iron wrought gate. Taking in open air and enjoying the Iris blooms, I notice a perfect spot with an empty bench, near an ancient looking oak tree. Hopefully I can get my head straight before I head home. Spending time in nature always seems to be therapeutic. It doesn’t take the birds long to notice that I have food. Before I know it, a collection of colorful pigeons crowd around balking for real estate. As I methodically pinch pieces from the loaf, I wonder how different we really are from these single-minded urbanized scavengers.

Time seemingly stands still as fatigue blends with the satisfaction of a finally empty mind. How long have I been here? The bread ran out a while ago, the birds have left and roughly half my new pack is smoked. I check my watch and I realize that it’s past noon. I need to get some sleep before my next night shift. Where has the time gone? As I get up and brush the crumbs of bread from my lap I stretch for a moment and start heading home. I wish I could spend some more time out here - should I call in sick? No. People are in need now more than ever; calling in sick wouldn’t feel right.

Suddenly, I feel a tug at my coat from behind me. Swiftly turning around to see a warm, wrinkled face smiling at me from behind messy gray hair. A demure, friendly senior lady with a fluffy black coat and a slick looking purse greets me with a kind smile.

“Hello - sorry to bother you, young man. I couldn’t help but notice that you dropped this as you got up from that bench.” With soft leather gloves, she extends her hand and ushers me to take a small, blank black book. In a haze of exhaustion I reflexively take the book. Scanning the blank cover I say, “Oh... Hold on. This isn’t mine.” But when I looked up, to my surprise, she wasn’t there.

Unsettled by the experience, without thinking, I quickly pocket the small book and head back home. Unsure about what just happened, I ascend the stairs to my apartment and arrive at my door. Uneasy, shifting for my keys, the thought occurs that she may have confused me for someone else. Perhaps I should go back to the park tomorrow and see if the real owner of the book is looking for it. As I enter my apartment I notice the time is well past three-thirty. Where has the time gone? Is it possible that I lost time? I have work in less then seven hours. I should really get to sleep. As I hang up my coat, I feel the weight of the black book within the pocket. Curiosity gets the better of me and instead of going straight to sleep, I grab the book and open it up.

Flipping open the cover, to my astonishment, reveals a square opening where the pages should be. Taped to the inside is a small flash drive no bigger than my thumb. Behind the data stick, written on the bottom of the cavity are three words in bold uppercase: ‘BLACK BOOK PROTOCOL’. Against my better judgment, I decide to investigate and see what is on the flash drive. I grab my laptop, turn it on, and sit on the couch in anticipation while staring at the words written in the false book.

Casting doubt aside, I grab the drive and insert it into my computer. Normally a folder window will pop up on the screen, but this was no ordinary data stick. Instead, a clean, black, border-less window opens with a flashing white cursor. As I awkwardly wait for something to happen, time seems to slow, almost feeling like it stops entirely. All of a sudden the cursor begins to type on my screen:

~ “Salutations operator. The harmonizing will commence shortly.

Thank you for your patronage. In order to begin, please enter the

code supplied to you by us. Everything is better in the future.” ~

Enter Code Here: _____________________________

What code? Does it mean the words in the false book? Or maybe it was something that mysterious vanishing lady said to me? I can’t help but be paranoid that this is some elaborate hack. But what if it isn’t? The old women seemed to disappear just as the false book appeared. What if this is kismet, karma, destiny or fate? What if I am meant to do this? Screw it. I'll give it a try. My first guess is what is written. I think I’ll try that.

Before I touched the keyboard, I muttered the words, “Black Book Protocol.” Amazingly, the cursor instantly began typing the words. When the line was complete, a pleasant alien sound resonated from the laptop and then the window vanished from my screen. Minutes crawled along as nothing happened. Abruptly, a series of rapid screen glitches began to scramble my computer, followed by an overwhelming cascade of program code lines. Without warning my computer whined and then shut off. I tried to get it back on but it seemed that it was dead. I should have known better, it’s already past my bed time so I’ll deal with this later. What happened that night - I’ll never forget.

I woke up to the sounds of cheering coming from outside my building. Looking over to the alarm clock I notice that the power is off, shoot! I’m going to be late! As I jump out of bed to get ready for work, my television flashes on to a news channel. This doesn’t make sense; how can the television have power when the apartment doesn’t? Despite this phenomenon, I listen to the news.

“Financial markets have crashed today, and nobody seems to know why or how. Nobody can access stock accounts and regulators have lost all access as well. Even the governments around the globe are reporting broad ranging failures in accessing liquidity… Land ownership, building ownership and rental fees have all been turned upside down as well...”

What is going on? I notice that the whole block is without power as sudden bursts of fireworks outside light up the area. I open my window and see everyone in the streets drinking, parting and singing. It’s like ‘Mardi Gras’ outside and I’m so confused. If the news is running, my phone should work as well. I grab my phone, open it up, and see that I have a plethora of alerts. Most of which are text messages but some are email alerts from my bank. Quickly, I tap the first alert from the bank and see something I would have never expected. The email read:

“Please be advised that due to clerical errors you have received back logged pay for wage discrepancy in the amount of $20, 000 US dollars. Please come into your local branch to discuss the arrangements of your newly purchased property deeds.”

What the hell was on that data stick!? What have I done? How many people have received the same alerts as me? Maybe someone outside or at work will know more about what's going on? Is this a dream? Maybe I was right; maybe this was fate - or something entirely different? Either way, I should get ready for work. I’m already late.

Little did I know that the future of everything would be changed forever….