“Do you require anything else?”
“No.”
The young man bowed and then exited the way he had come.
Lena sipped from the cup of hot soup, staring out through the sliding glass door. A small garden lay on the other side of the glass. High stone walls and a single leafless tree. Lena finished the soup, its broth warm and soothing. Then she used chopsticks to finish off the rest of the food, a bowl of sticky rice and raw fish.
She finished eating and stepped outside. Her breath was visible in the cool air, and she held her arms close to her chest. The booming explosions in the distance had ceased. Finally. She was beginning to worry that things had not gone according to plan.
When her hands began to numb, she opened the sliding door and reentered her room. She did some calisthenics and yoga but felt sluggish. With all the travel and the medical rest after suffering serious burns, she hadn’t been able to keep up her usual vigorous exercise routine. She frowned as she looked in the mirror, not liking the extra pound or two she saw.
She flipped on a small TV and kept the volume on low. There were only two stations still broadcasting. One was the national news, which was Lena knew was being heavily influenced by Chinese psychological warfare specialists. The other was Skynews, which had also been infiltrated by Jinshan’s network, but not as thoroughly. The Chinese Ministry of State Security had been laying the groundwork for years, inserting their agents into global news networks as production executives, directors, and video editors. Each one of them was carefully trained as to how to influence the minds of the masses to be receptive to Chinese political goals.
During Lena’s time as an agent living in America, she had always been amused when the news would report shifts in public opinion. A change in consumer confidence in the economy, or in support for a given policy. Public perception was driven directly by the information people received, which was in turn shaped by a select few gatekeepers. In each news room, producers and executives chose which stories to run, and how they would be portrayed. People didn’t have their own opinions. Not really. They were told what to think, and how to think it. Jinshan saw this phenomenon as the single greatest structural flaw within democratic nations. The leaders of nations should know better than to allow media conglomerate owners and executives to shape opinions that would affect them. For progress to be made, Jinshan himself had to shape those opinions.
On the TV screen, the newscaster was giving a summary of the UN summit that had taken place yesterday in Geneva.
They kept showing the same footage. The person at the head of the podium was a Russian diplomat. Lena watched the man’s lips move and heard a British-accented English translation being broadcast with a few seconds’ delay.
“The Russian Federation is appalled and dismayed at the recent aggression the United States has shown on the world stage. The United States has violated international humanitarian law by using nuclear weapons in a first strike against North Korea and the People’s Republic of China. In light of these transgressions, the Russian Federation has chosen to issue the following ultimatum. If the United States uses any additional weapons of mass destruction, including chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons, then the Russian Federation will have no choice but to enter the war in defense of China. However, we demand that all other UN member-nations also remain neutral. We also demand that the United Nations immediately ratify international economic sanctions against the United States, including the embargo of foreign petroleum products and any supplies that may be used to make war.”
The newscaster came back on the screen. “In the aftermath of the Russian ultimatum, several members of NATO have disavowed any allegiance to the United States and left the organization. Japan has agreed to a peaceful settlement with the People’s Republic of China and has called for the expedited departure of all American troops currently stationed there. This brings us to the most important development of the day, which is the Chinese-US cease-fire agreement. The US president has agreed to the Chinese terms, which surprised many.”
An analyst said, “Indeed. Inside the US, political parties are fighting over which direction to take while their nation will wake up tomorrow facing its fourth day without electricity. Many in the US are clamoring for a more aggressive response, especially in light of the death of the former US president. While the official cause of the Air Force One crash is still under investigation, leaked preliminary reports point to a surface-to-air missile attack.”
The newscaster shook his head. “Horrifying.”
“Indeed. While the Chinese deny any such action, that doesn’t stop the anger welling up among many of the American people. So, it is quite shocking to see the new US president accept this peace treaty. But what we are hearing from US diplomats and military experts that the US president felt there was a need to deescalate. He wanted to get any Americans in the Asia-Pacific theater out of harm’s way. And the Americans were afraid that further use of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons could damage their nation beyond repair.”
The TV screen showed a still image of the former vice president of the United States as he was sworn in as president. A recording played his voice. “My fellow Americans, our most important responsibility is to the safety and security of our citizens, including the hundreds of thousands who are now located in Asia. While we strenuously object to the military action China has taken, we must make peace to ensure the stability of our great nation.”
The analyst said, “Many Americans are not happy with the president’s decision to accept the Chinese peace treaty. Some in the president’s own party are calling on him to resign.”
The news host held his hand to his earpiece. “Now, can you go into the details of the peace treaty? Explain what the two nations have agreed to exactly.”
The camera switched to a third man. “Of course. China has demanded that the United States remove its troops from its bases in the Western Pacific, and it seems that the US has acceded to that demand. Now I’m told that all US forces must move east of a certain longitude line within a certain timeline…”
“And is the US in fact complying with China’s wishes, then?”
“It seems that yes, they are. Japanese and American commercial airliners have been commandeered to begin transporting any US civilians and troops back to the United States, and US military forces are — well, they aren’t officially calling it a retreat, but that is what I’ve heard several military experts refer to it as.”
“Fascinating. And how will this play out globally? Are any other countries bound by the agreement? We’ve seen some very steadfast declarations of American backing from Australia, Canada, and of course the United Kingdom. But no members of the European Union have committed to supporting the US? Or even other members of NATO?”
“Well, a few NATO members have said that they would respond with military action if the United States and China restart hostilities. Or if Russia—”
“Yes, now this Russian ultimatum… that seems to have thrown a wrench into everything, hasn’t it? Are they really saying what I think they are saying? That Russia would actually start a thermonuclear war with the United States if the Americans were to use any additional nuclear weapons?”
“Well, I just want to make one correction to your statement there. We don’t know for sure that the United States has actually used nuclear weapons.”
“How can you say that? There are reports of nuclear detonations in North Korea and China.”
“I understand that. However, until we get confirmation from the United States government, I would urge us to take all of the information we’re hearing with a healthy dose of skepticism. I’m hearing from my sources that China and North Korea were the aggressors here. That they launched a surprise attack on US forces in the Pacific.”