Chapter 1 - The Attack

January twenty-fifth is a day I won't soon forget. It began as my days usually do-with a newspaper and a cup of coffee. I sat at my desk reading an article about six alleged terrorists suspected to be on the run in Boston and been surprised about the story. Why Boston? Were these terrorists lost or confused? I brushed it off, not taking the story too seriously. In fact, I remember being more concerned about yesterday's five-cent fall in my company's stock price than a potential terrorist threat.

The morning progressed, and I was soon sitting in a conference room on the thirty-sixth floor of the Prudential Center in Boston, Massachusetts, readying myself for a meeting. It was my first month in a new position and I wanted to make sure that I was on top of things, learning as much as I possibly could. I sat next to a few colleagues, listening to the head of our company. Suddenly, the lights flickered and the talking ceased. The room then went dark for a moment. As the lights regained their illumination, someone in the room joked that it might be the terrorists trying to blow-up the building. Most people chuckled, and then continued discussing the topic at hand.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple for me. A sudden rush of adrenaline had shot through my body and into my head. It hit me out of the blue and felt as though someone had sucked the breath out of my lungs and spit it back into my face. I was almost knocked out of my chair. It made me feel instantly dizzy, to the point where I thought I might pass out. My heart had started pounding stronger and faster making me feel like I was having a heart attack! I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I had never had feelings like this before. All of these sensations, from the heart palpitations to the rush of adrenaline, were new to me.

Then, as quickly as the episode came on, it seemed to stop. The adrenaline rush subsided, yet I still felt very dizzy and off-balance, similar to how you would feel if you stood up too quickly after sitting down for an extended period of time. I was hot and sweaty. It was only after the feelings had passed that I realized that my body had sweated profusely. My shirt was drenched and stuck to me in an incredibly uncomfortable way. The sweat soon turned cold, like ice water all over my body, and I began shivering. A strange, innate sensation to get out of that confined room came over me. I had never felt that way before but knew I needed to leave… immediately. My colleagues were oblivious to what had just happened to me, so I grabbed my things and quietly left the room.

I was so perplexed. What in the world could have caused such a strange reaction? I sat down at my desk, still feeling dizzy, trying to regain my composure. Ten minutes later, I felt better physically, but still uncertain both mentally and emotionally. Could it have been the circulation in the conference room? Maybe it was less efficient than I what was used to? I rationalized this answer in my mind, deciding that the poor circulation was to blame for my bizarre reactions.

As coincidence would have it, I had dinner that night with my father who was in town on business. As we caught up on my new position, responsibilities, and my recent move from New York City to Boston, I also mentioned the strange "attack" from earlier that day. He too was confused and, like any concerned parent, told me to watch it and let him and a doctor know if it happened again. He also classified it as a one-time thing, agreeing with my conclusion that it was most likely caused by the poor circulation in the conference room. I felt relieved, and from there our discussion turned to my beloved Red Sox and our excitement on their upcoming season! I was no longer concerned about the strange attack, and in fact, it would not cross my mind again until nine days later.