The visible changes seemed minor and rarely interfered with daily life. Most of the significant changes were structural and were taking place behind the scenes. In my daily walk, everything sort of looked the same—even with the growing number of empty storefronts. Occasionally I’d see a member of one of the new militia groups proudly wearing his or her uniform top or unit pin on the street. At times my laptop would freeze or the cursor would move by itself or it would take an unusually long time to load, causing me to wonder if someone was hacking into my work or if it simply was my ingrained distrust of government manifesting itself as paranoia.

The audacity of these three simultaneous attacks changed everything. Regular Army troops in full gear were stationed on almost every corner. I had yet to get comfortable with the sight of heavily armed soldiers guarding our airports, and that had been going on for decades; so seeing troops patrolling the streets of Washington was far more chilling. They had been ordered to protect government buildings, airports and railroad terminals, power stations, and other potential targets. It was as if the city had been transformed overnight into a clichéd scene from an underbudget cold war movie. It didn’t feel real. Once I had been one of those soldiers, but far away, in a different city, in a different country.

But there was something else tickling my imagination. It suddenly hit me as I paused to watch a bored soldier standing rigidly at the front door of a Chase bank. There was no logical reason for those soldiers to be there. The attacks were over. They had taken place a few days earlier, and it was unlikely there would be more attacks. So why had soldiers been ordered to blanket the city? The obvious reason was to provide us all with some sense of security, but the result was precisely the opposite. Their presence simply amped up the terror.

Just as we had during the pandemic, all around the country people dug in, stocking up on staples like cheese, water, pet food, toilet paper, and ice cream. Long lines formed at gas stations and ATMs as people filled their tanks and extra cans and put cash in their pocket. When the stock market opened, it immediately crashed and within a half hour, circuit breakers halted trading; maybe not surprisingly among the few stocks that did not drop precipitously were Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, Match.com and Tinder (which rose quickly), and every defense contractor as the country prepared to hunker down.

Wild rumors spread like Covid-19. Stay off the bridges and out of the tunnels; the food supply had been poisoned; two suitcase nukes had been smuggled into the country and would be detonated when the first arrest was made.

Within days, politicians and celebrities were tweeting furiously, reaffirming their patriotism and offering their personal hopes and prayers to everyone affected by the attacks. The Obama family issued a statement expressing their deepest sympathy, reminding Americans that “throughout our history we have always been strongest when we have united to defend our national interests and American values.” Senator Lindsey Graham told Jake Tapper in a shaky voice, “It seems to me that right now the right place for all of us to be is somewhere between complacent and panicked.” Jay-Z, the Clooneys, and Julia Roberts announced they would be hosting a telethon to raise funds for the victims, and in an unusual tweet, the Kardashian/Jenner family press liaison reported they would be donating all appearance fees to survivor funds.