The Day of the Monarch

From outside the window comes the sound of three short burst from a siren. Erica gets up and her and Shane walk over to the window to see what's going on. As they look down at the front yard they see the sheriff getting out of his car and walking toward Abby's dad. Abby's dad is standing next to a large fuel tank putting fuel into 5-gallon gas cans. He takes off his gloves and sticks out his hand to the approaching Sheriff. Erica, Abby, and Shane, come running out the front door to where her dad, Harlan and the sheriff are standing. "What's going on?" Erica ask. "Everything's cool. The sheriff has just stopped by to tell us about a meeting in Town Square tomorrow. He wants everyone to be there and since communications are down, he is going house-to-house telling people to be there." Dad says. "So what's the meeting about?" Abby asks. "It's about the loss of power and what's being done about it." The sheriff says. "So why is there no power?" Abby asked. "Were not sure. Some are saying it was just some sort of chain reaction started by one of the power stations but I don't think so." "What do you think is going on?" Asked Shane. "I don't know for sure but I know that a power plant going off line might cause a chain reaction that trips other power plants and you know a domino effect takes place. But this isn't like that." "Why not?" Asked Abby. "Power plants going off line don't cause electronic systems to fail. I mean, how could that be?" The sheriff says. "They fail because there is no power." Erica says. "Then why don't they start working when you restore the power? Have you tried your computers, TV, iPad, anything like that since you fired up the generators?" "There all dead," Abby says. "Right! I plugged in the old antique radio that my mother left me and it works. Only thing I can get is those emergence broadcast messages but it works," says Abby's dad. "Does the radio in your old truck still work the sheriff asks?" "Yea, it's the same, only the emergence messages." "How about you wife's new Lexus?" "No, not only is the radio deader than a hammer her car want even start." Dad says. "Your truck is from the 60's and it has an analog radio in it. It's just like your mothers old radio, analog. However Angie's Lexus has one of those all digital satellite radios in it." The sheriff says. "So what are you saying Sheriff?" Abby asks. "I'm just saying its weird that all this old technology is still functioning and all this new fangled Internet connected digital stuff is fried. There is no way a power plant getting overloaded can cause such a thing." "So what do you think caused all this?" Abby asks. " I think its some sort of Cyber Terrorist attack." The sheriff says.