9 Days Falling concludes Day III with two scenes. ASPRON-4 becomes the initial focus of U.S. military response to the incident involving Princess Royal on her ill fated journey through the Straits of Hormuz. But the much longer scene Dark Matter deals with the real threat to the U.S., not one posed by hostile nations, but due to the malfeasance and greed of her own banking system. As such, it is a summation of much of what I have been writing about the last two years in my non-fiction articles. Consider it "ripped from yesterday's headlines," with a little spin in that now it is Goldman Sachs that must face the consequences of their enormous leverage in the nebulous derivatives trading markets. When China finally calls the schemes what they often are--fraud--the world of Dark Matter securities begins a disorderly unwinding that will have enormous effects.
The character Robert, an investment broker by trade, finds his own small world will be rocked as well, as his positions with Goldman cannot be easily liquidated. He'll be spending a long and troubled night in the Quantum Sleeper, but the damage is not something that his self contained fallout shelter can forestall of protect against in any way. Ask anyone who has lost a job or home the last two years due to this crisis, both created and delivered to the nation by the banks, and they will surely agree.
