Tap Dancers (ePub)

A City wakes to no water. Not a drop. Panic grips the suburbs. Hospitals, schools, businesses shut down. Fights break out in supermarkets over bottled water. We must now imagine life without nature's precious drop. After a devastating cyber-attack a city's water has been cut off. Terrorists have threatened to poison supply. Millions are terrified, scared to turn on their taps.

Award winning photojournalist Mack Grayson returns from overseas war zones to save his crumbling marriage and becomes embroiled in the biggest story of his life. While covering a blazing inferno for his newspaper he fortuitously becomes the fire's star tv reporter. This good fortune launches him on a new career and in pursuit of those holding his city to ransom. But life's not easy for Mack, jealous enemies are trying to thwart his meteoric rise by smearing his reputation and accusing him of murder. It's now a race against time as he tries to clear his name while pursuing the terrorists and presenting informative and entertaining TV updates. The final threat is for the water catchment to be bombed from the air with deadly Anthrax, thousands will die. Mack intervenes in a dramatic car chase, intercepting the plane, crippling it. It still manages to take off. Can he save the city and the lives of five million people?

While this is a fictionalised account of how a city is held to ransom when its water utility is under attack from outside forces how far is it from reality. How protected is our planet's liquid gold? How easy is it to seize control of reservoirs and catchments, even poison them? Tap Dancers explores some real possibilities. In recent times the world has witnessed terrorist threats, cyber attacks on corporations, website seizures and ransom demands paralysing communities, cities, even countries.

What's next? Water?

NB: Tap Dancers is not just about doom laden scenarios its also a story of real life relationships at home and at work and how perseverance against the odds fosters happier outcomes, even love. With room for murder.