Decryption Day

By Morgan Hyde

The world is plunged into darkness when a highly sophisticated cyber-attack takes down power grids across nations, crippling infrastructure and communication networks. Cities descend into chaos as supplies dwindle and survivors scramble for resources in the blackout.

 

Alek Kozlov, a former Blackhat hacker with a troubled past, holds the key to restoring the power systems. However, he's being pursued relentlessly by shadowy government operatives who believe he orchestrated the attack. On the run, Alek races against time to piece together the clues and uncover the shocking truth behind the cyber-attack.

 

In a twist, he discovers that a mysterious group has hijacked an experimental AI system, using it to wreak havoc worldwide. Their ultimate goal is to destabilize governments and reshape the global order through fear and destruction. Alek realizes that the only way to stop them is to confront his own demons and harness his hacking prowess one last time.

 

Caught in the crosshairs is Sarah Benton, a brilliant cyber-security analyst who has been hunting the hacker cell behind the attack. As conditions deteriorate, she's forced to team up with Alek, the one person she's been pursuing. An uneasy alliance forms as they race to take down the rogue AI before it triggers unimaginable catastrophes.

 

With high-stakes action, cutting-edge technology, and rich emotional stakes, "Decryption Day" is a thrilling, thought-provoking exploration of humanity's increasing dependence on technology and the dangers of unchecked artificial intelligence. As cities crumble and millions hang in the balance, Alek and Sarah must confront their own personal demons and fight to restore order before the world descends into permanent darkness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: NP Lovestruck Publishing
• Release date: Apr 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224445387

Morgan Hyde

Morgan Hyde is a remarkable individual who has seamlessly blended her passion for justice with her love for storytelling. Born and raised in New York City, Morgan grew up fascinated by the intricate workings of the criminal mind and the dedicated professionals who bring them to justice. After graduating with honors from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Morgan joined the New York Police Department, where she quickly distinguished herself as a brilliant and tenacious detective. With over a decade of experience in investigating complex cases, Morgan has developed a unique insight into the depths of human nature and the dark undercurrents that run beneath society's surface. Inspired by her experiences on the force, Morgan began writing suspense fiction as a way to explore the moral complexities and psychological challenges faced by those who dedicate their lives to protecting others. Morgan captivate audiences with her thrilling novels, each one drawing from her wealth of experience and her deep understanding of the human psyche. Her writing has been praised for its strong, relatable characters, intricate plotting, and ability to keep readers guessing until the very last page. When she's not writing or working on cases, Morgan can be found practicing martial arts, spending time with her beloved German Shepherd, Max, or volunteering with organizations that support victims of crime. She is a passionate advocate for justice and a dedicated storyteller who brings a unique and authentic voice to the world of suspense fiction. With a growing legion of fans and a reputation as one of the most promising voices in the genre, Morgan Hyde is an author to watch. Her commitment to her craft, her uncompromising integrity, and her rare ability to blend real-world grit with page-turning suspense make her a true force to be reckoned with in the literary world.

Book preview

Decryption Day

Copyright © 2024 by Morgan Hyde.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.

First Edition : April 2024

Content

Chapter 1: Darkness Falls

Chapter 2: The Hunted

Chapter 3: Ghosts of the Past

Chapter 4: The Invisible Enemy

Chapter 5: Uneasy Alliances

Chapter 6: In the Shadows

Chapter 7: The Hacker's Code

Chapter 8: Whispers of Conspiracy

Chapter 9: The Butterfly Effect

Chapter 10: Convergence

Chapter 11: The Quantum Enigma

Chapter 12: Echoes of Betrayal

Chapter 13: The Ghost in the Machine

Chapter 14: Fracture Points

Chapter 15: The Simulacrum

Chapter 16: Pandora's Box

Chapter 17: The Puppet Master

Chapter 18: Shattered Alliances

Chapter 19: The Phoenix Protocol

Chapter 20: Into the Fire

Chapter 21: The Crucible

Chapter 22: Ashes and Embers

Chapter 23: The New Frontier

Chapter 24: Echoes of Tomorrow

Chapter 25: A New Dawn

Chapter 1: Darkness Falls

THE CITY THAT NEVER sleeps was plunged into an eerie darkness. In an instant, the pulsing neon signs, glittering skyscrapers, and ceaseless flow of headlights that lit up the night vanished. New York City went black.

From his tenth-story apartment window, Alek Kozlov watched the transformation with a mixture of awe and unease. The 32-year-old's sharp green eyes followed the spreading darkness as it engulfed block after block, like an inky tide flooding concrete canyon. Car horns blared as traffic snarled, no longer governed by the rhythm of stoplights. Distant cries of confusion punctuated the unnatural quiet left in the wake of the city's buzzing lifeblood.

What the hell? Alek muttered, his brow furrowed as he tried to process the surreal scene unfolding before him.

His roommate, Max, joined him at the window, his usually jovial face etched with concern. Man, this is some serious shit. The whole city's out.

Alek nodded, his mind already racing with possibilities. It's not just the city. Look. He gestured to the distant skyline, where the iconic lights of the city's landmarks had vanished into the gloom.

Max let out a low whistle. Damn. What do you think could cause something like this?

Alek's gaze darted to his computer monitors, still glowing stubbornly in the smothering darkness. Their light illuminated his angular features, etched with a growing realization. I've got a hunch. And I don't like it one bit.

He turned away from the window, striding purposefully to his workstation. Max trailed after him, confusion and worry warring on his face. What is it, Alek? What's going on?

Alek didn't answer immediately. His hands were already flying across the keyboard, fingers a blur as he launched queries into the tangled web of the internet, searching for confirmation of his suspicions. The room was silent save for the clatter of keys and the hum of the computers, an island of light and noise in the darkness.

Max hovered over his shoulder, trying to make sense of the rapid-fire lines of code and data flashing across the screens. Alek, talk to me, man. What are you thinking?

Alek leaned back, his eyes never leaving the monitors. I'm thinking this is no ordinary blackout. Look at the scale, the coordination. Cities across the globe are going dark, all at once. That's not a coincidence.

Max's eyes widened as the implications sank in. You don't mean...?

A cyber-attack. Alek's voice was grim. And one unlike anything we've seen before.

In the streets below Alek's apartment, the initial shock was rapidly devolving into chaos. The wail of sirens echoed through the urban canyons as emergency response teams mobilized. But Alek knew they were fighting a losing battle. With each critical system that failed, with each darkened block, the city was tipping further into anarchy.

From the shadows of an alleyway, the first looters emerged, emboldened by the cloak of darkness and the absence of surveillance. They moved with purpose, smashing windows and ransacking stores for electronics, food, anything they could grab in the mounting turmoil. It was a scene playing out across the city as the thin veneer of order began to crack.

In the apartment, Max paced nervously, his hands raking through his hair. This is bad, Alek. Really bad. What do we do?

Alek didn't look up from his screens. We figure out who's behind this. And we stop them.

Max barked a humorless laugh. Sure, easy as that. And how exactly do you propose we do that?

Alek's fingers paused on the keys. He swiveled to face Max, his expression serious. I've still got contacts, Max. People from my old days.

Max's eyes narrowed. Your old days? You mean when you were-

A black hat, yes. Alek cut him off. I know it's not something I'm proud of, but those skills, those connections, they might be the only thing that can help us now.

Max sighed, his shoulders slumping. I guess you're right. Just...be careful, okay? I don't want to see you get dragged back into that world.

Alek managed a tight smile. I'll be careful. I promise.

With that, he turned back to his computers, diving deep into the digital underworld he thought he had left behind. He navigated through encrypted channels and dark web forums, following digital breadcrumbs left by old contacts. Snippets of conversation and cryptic references painted a grim picture - whispers of a shadowy collective, a group with the skills and resources to bring the world to its knees.

Erebus, Alek breathed, his eyes widening as he stared at the name on his screen.

Max leaned in, squinting at the cryptic text. What's Erebus?

Alek's voice was hushed, almost reverent. A legend. A hacker collective with almost mythical status. Most people think they're just a story, but...

But they're real, Max finished, a chill running down his spine. And they're behind this.

Alek nodded grimly. It looks that way.

The weight of the realization settled over the room. Max slumped into a chair, his face pale in the glow of the monitors. So, what now? How do we stop a ghost?

Alek's jaw set with determination. We find them. We unravel their plan. And we beat them at their own game.

It was a daunting prospect, but Alek knew he had no choice. The skills he had tried so hard to leave behind, the talents he had once used to wreak havoc and sow chaos, they were now the only hope for a world teetering on the brink.

He was about to voice this thought to Max when, without warning, the room plunged into darkness. The computers winked out, their comforting hum replaced by a sudden, oppressive silence.

What the hell? Max's voice was tight with fear. What happened?

Alek was already moving, his mind racing. They found us. Erebus. They must have tracked my probing.

A sound from the hallway outside froze them both in place. Footsteps, heavy and purposeful. The metallic click of a weapon.

Max's eyes were wide in the darkness. Alek...

Shh! Alek held up a hand, his senses straining. The footsteps were getting closer.

Silently, he motioned for Max to get down. He crept towards his desk, his hand closing around the comforting weight of a flash drive. With a few deft movements, he slotted it into his laptop, his fingers flying over the keys as he initiated an encryption protocol.

The door to the apartment exploded inward, splinters of wood flying like shrapnel. Dark figures poured through the breach, weapons raised.

Alek reacted on instinct. He charged forward, a silent shadow in the gloom. He crashed into the lead intruder, the impact sending them both tumbling to the ground.

A gun skittered across the floor. Alek lunged for it, his fingers closing around the grip. He brought it up, firing blindly into the mass of bodies.

The muzzle flash lit up the room in stuttering strobe. Alek saw Max, crouched behind the overturned couch. He saw the intruders, masked and armored, recoiling from the sudden fusillade.

And he saw the window, a black rectangle of night beyond the shattered glass.

Max! Alek yelled over the chaos. Run!

Max hesitated for a split second, his eyes locked on Alek. Then he was moving, sprinting for the window.

Alek laid down a covering fire, the gun bucking in his grip. Bullets whined past, scoring the walls, but he didn't let up.

Then Max was at the window. With a final, desperate glance back, he vaulted over the sill and vanished into the night.

Alek was right behind him. He scooped up his laptop, tucking it under his arm as he ran. A bullet tugged at his sleeve, but he didn't slow.

He reached the window, the cool night air washing over him. Beyond, the city was a sea of chaos, fires burning unchecked, the din of disorder rising from the streets.

But it was a chaos he could vanish into. A darkness he could use to cloak his escape.

With a final burst of gunfire, Alek leapt, the window frame scraping his back as he tumbled into the open air. For a moment, he was falling, the wind rushing past him, the ground hurtling up to meet him.

Then he hit, rolling with the impact, the asphalt hard and unforgiving. He came up running, Max at his side, the two of them sprinting into the shadows.

Behind them, the apartment burned, a beacon in the night. But Alek didn't look back. He couldn't afford to.

The city had fallen. Erebus had made their move. And he, Alek Kozlov, was now a piece on their chessboard, a pawn in a game he was only beginning to understand.

But one thing was certain. The battle had begun. And he would fight it, in the shadows and in the light, until the bitter end.

The end of the world was upon them. And Alek was determined to face it head on, to the beat of the city.

Chapter 2: The Hunted

THE CITY WAS A WAR zone. Fires raged unchecked, painting the night sky an apocalyptic orange. The streets, once the arteries of a thriving metropolis, were now clogged with the detritus of panic - overturned cars, shattered storefronts, the fallen bodies of those caught in the crossfire of the city's descent into madness.

Through this urban hellscape, Alek Kozlov and Max ran, their footsteps echoing off the broken concrete. They darted from shadow to shadow, using the chaos as cover, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the burning husk of their apartment.

Alek's mind raced as he ran, trying to process the enormity of what had just happened. Erebus, the mythical hacker collective, was real. And they were behind the devastating attack that had brought the world to its knees.

But why? What was their endgame? And why had they come for him?

These questions churned in Alek's mind as he and Max fled through the city. They needed answers. But first, they needed safety.

In a distant part of the city, in a nondescript building that belied its true purpose, Sarah Benton stared at the wall of screens in front of her, her blue eyes wide with disbelief and horror. Each monitor showed a different city, a different scene of devastation, but the story was the same: darkness, chaos, the world teetering on the brink.

Sarah's fingers flew over her keyboard, desperately trying to make sense of the data flooding in. She was one of the best cyber-security analysts in the business, but nothing in her experience had prepared her for this.

Behind her, the door to the operations room burst open. Marcus Brennan, Sarah's mentor and the head of the cyber-security division, strode in, his face grim.

Tell me we have something, Sarah, he said without preamble, his voice tight with tension.

Sarah shook her head, frustration etched on her face. Nothing concrete. The attack was incredibly sophisticated. It's like nothing I've ever seen.

Marcus leaned over her shoulder, his eyes scanning the screens. We need to find out who's behind this. And fast. The world's already teetering on the edge. If we don't get a handle on this...

He didn't need to finish the thought. Sarah understood all too well the stakes they were playing for.

She took a deep breath, trying to center herself. I'll keep digging. There's got to be a trail, some breadcrumb they left behind.

Marcus nodded, his hand squeezing her shoulder briefly. I have faith in you, Sarah. If anyone can unravel this, it's you.

With that, he turned and strode out, leaving Sarah alone with the daunting task ahead of her.

She turned back to her screens, her jaw set with determination. She might be the world's last line of defense against this unseen enemy. And she would not fail.

Across the city, in a darkened alley, Alek and Max finally came to a stop, their chests heaving from the exertion of their flight. They leaned against the cold brick, trying to catch their breath, trying to make sense of the nightmare they found themselves in.

What the hell just happened, Alek? Max panted, his voice shaky.

Alek shook his head, his mind still reeling. I don't know. But we need to find out.

He slid down the wall to sit on the ground, pulling his laptop onto his knees. The blue glow of the screen lit up his face as he began to type, his fingers flying over the keys.

Max watched him work, a frown etching his face. What are you doing?

Trying to find a trail, Alek muttered, his eyes glued to the screen. Erebus is good, but no one's perfect. They must have left something behind, some clue to their identity or their plan.

For long minutes, the only sound in the alley was the clatter of Alek's keystrokes. Max paced nervously, his head swiveling at every distant sound, every flicker of light.

Then, suddenly, Alek sat back, a triumphant gleam in his eye. Got it!

Max hurried over, crouching down to see the screen. What? What did you find?

Alek pointed to a string of code, a meaningless jumble of letters and numbers to Max's untrained eye. This. It's a signature, a calling card. I've seen it before.

Max frowned. Where?

Alek's face was grim. In the code of another hacker. One I knew back in my black hat days. His name was Ghost.

Max's eyes widened. You think this Ghost is part of Erebus?

I'm almost certain of it. Alek's fingers were already flying over the keys again. And if I can track him down, maybe he can lead us to the rest of the group.

It was a long shot, and they both knew it. But it was the only lead they had.

As Alek worked, Sarah was making her own breakthrough. She had been combing through the data from the attack, looking for any pattern, any anomaly that might point to the perpetrators.

And she had found it. A tiny fragment of code, almost lost in the noise. But to Sarah's trained eye, it stood out like a beacon.

She isolated the code, running it through her analysis programs. And as the results started to come in, her heart began to race.

It can't be, she whispered, staring at the screen in disbelief.

But there was no denying the evidence in front of her. The code fragment matched, with a 99.8% certainty, the known digital signature of one of the most notorious hackers in the world.

Alek Kozlov.

Sarah sat back in her chair, her mind whirling. Alek Kozlov. The name was legendary in cyber-security circles. A black hat hacker of unparalleled skill, he had been responsible for some of the most audacious cyber-heists in history.

But then, five years ago, he had seemingly vanished. The hacker community had been awash with rumors - that he had been arrested, that he had been recruited by a foreign government, that he had been killed.

But now, here was his signature, hidden in the code of the most devastating cyber-attack the world had ever seen.

Sarah knew what she had to do. She reached for her phone, dialing Marcus's number with trembling fingers.

He answered on the first ring. Sarah? What have you got?

She took a deep breath. Marcus, it's Alek Kozlov. He's involved in the attack.

There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end of the line. Then Marcus's voice, harder than Sarah had ever heard it. Find him. Whatever it takes, find him and bring him in.

Sarah nodded, even though Marcus couldn't see her. Understood.

She hung up, her heart pounding. The hunt was on. Alek Kozlov had just become the most wanted man in the world.

And Sarah Benton was going to be the one to find him.

In the alley, Alek suddenly sat bolt upright, his face draining of color. Max, who had been keeping watch at the mouth of the alley, hurried over.

What? What is it?

Alek turned the laptop to face him. On the screen was a news report, a grim-faced anchor delivering the latest development in the unfolding crisis.

...and in a shocking turn of events, authorities have identified a suspect in the devastating cyber-attack that has crippled cities around the globe. Alek Kozlov, a notorious black hat hacker, is now the subject of an international manhunt...

Max stared at the screen, his mouth agape. They think you did this?

Alek's fists clenched. Erebus. They're framing me.

He stood abruptly, shoving his laptop into his bag. We have to move. Now. It's not just Erebus hunting us anymore.

Max nodded, his face pale but determined. Where do we go?

Alek's jaw tightened. We find Ghost. We make him talk. And we clear my name.

It was a desperate plan, and they both knew it. But it was the only one they had.

As they slipped out of the alley, melting into the shadows of the broken city, Sarah Benton was mobilizing every resource at her disposal to track them down.

The hunt had begun. And the stakes could not be higher.

In the days that followed, Alek and Max played a desperate game of cat and mouse, staying one step ahead of their pursuers. They moved from safehouse to safehouse, calling in every favor, every debt Alek had accumulated in his years in the shadows.

But Sarah was relentless. She seemed to anticipate their every move, closing in on them with inexorable determination.

It was during one of their narrow escapes, as they fled through the twisting streets of the city's underbelly, that Alek finally voiced the thought that had been haunting him.

I can't do this to you, Max, he panted as they ran. This is my fight. My past catching up with me. You shouldn't have to pay for my mistakes.

Max shot him a fierce look, never breaking stride. Shut up, Alek. We're in this together. Have been since we were kids. I'm not abandoning you now.

Alek felt a surge of gratitude, a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the exertion of their flight. In a world gone mad, in a life that had been defined by shadows and secrets, Max was the one constant, the one person he could always count on.

He opened his