Beyond our control

The massive Circum‑Global Communications tower dominates the Manhattan skyline, its glowing atom‑like emblem a beacon for the planet‑spanning web of artificial satellites that carry every television picture, voice call and data stream. Inside, veteran operations chief James Fitzpatrick MacIlheny runs the upper floors’ gigantic electronic brain and the lower levels’ monitoring rooms, earning respect with a blend of encouragement and stern discipline.

On a quiet Saturday night in March 1978, MacIlheny stays late to oversee a new computer unit, a routine that should have been uneventful. As the clock strikes 1903, the building’s public‑address system crackles to life, announcing a technical glitch that threatens to sever the satellite links binding continents together. The incident sparks a chain reaction, forcing the team to confront a danger far larger than any single error—an emerging menace that could turn the unifying network into a weapon beyond anyone’s control.