12:00 AM 01/01/2000
A computer virus is released through the newly born World Wide Web
It is a worm type, one that the only recently created firewalls have no defense against
It works in a similar way to those programs that make Doom be playable on all sorts of system, from a toaster to a radio, so long there's something electronic to it
It of course makes all those electronics useless and unworkable, the damage is just as large as if the the 2012 solar flare had hit and generated a electric pulse frying all electrical equipment except its in the year 2000
The virus itself doesnt harm or kill anyone and was itself set up to only be compatible with machinery from the United States of America, implying it could have been much worse should it's creator have set it up as a global virus and programmed it to do something else - say, explode - rather than just fry electronic equipment or play Doom, which would have turned it into a world ending threat
This in turn seems to indicate the incident was most likely intended as a prank and it's overarching global consequences likely accidental
Of course, that doesnt mean thousands if not millions still dont die either because their lives relied on these machines for life support or due to the fact America has now effectively been brought back to the Middle Ages and the resulting worldwide economic depression bringing instability and starvation to billions across the planet, nor do it pleases the victims to know their suffering was a result of an early online troll moment
The United States, now slowly and painfully walks out of the pre-modern age it was set back in, still having a strong army and a population armed to it's teeth despite it's industry and military equipment being as good as ashes.
Contrary to the paranoic beliefs, America is not invaded by it's enemies, having successfully called for aid and help of it's fellow NATO members and becoming essencially a protectorate of canadians, mexicans and the british
Said enemies however didnt miss the chance to take their slice of the american pie in the scramble for the states, following the old american strategy of spreading their influence through massive economic investment and "humanitarian" military bases to rebuild and "protect" their former rival - a Marshall Plan if you will - to ensure America will never be their enemy again
The 21th Century is marked by retrocess
A return to 19 century norms in the United States as most the population return to a rural lifestyle and the country's economic collapse led to the resurface of old prejudices, customs and religiosity as well as skepticism towards Modernity
And in the rest of the world MAD & liberal democracies take a hit due to the lack of the american nuclear umbrella and the new Great Depression severely weakening democratic institutions, leading to the rise of populist dictatorships from all sides of the spectrum and enboldement of anti-western regimes as globalization is now a dead idea among the ruins of the global system
Not all hope is lost however, as it's estimated that between the second half of the 21 Century and the first half of the 22th the USA should once again catch up to the rest of the world, both technologically & socially, once again being a global power after having its industry rebuilt - albeit one heavily divided and influenced by those smart and capable enough to invest - or more accurately buy - it to serve their interests, with the American Federation being not unlike the European Union in it's political organization and it's economy much like post-Yeltsin Russia
Likewise global emissions decreased greatly without the US as an offender, delaying the effects of climate change by decades and the cheap, easy to afford formerly american resources & industrial secrets now seized by the great powers and divided among themselves served as a source of great stability and the boon required for the global economy to grow again, now that the banana republic that calls itself the USA cannot afford to keep a hold of them while stuck in the little Yankee-themed "Belle Époque"
