“Harry?”
“No. Mrs. McCann, Darius’s mother.”
Chapter 21
The hour-long meeting in the Situation Room with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security and a number of chief advisors had given President Hawkins all the information he needed. Now he knew exactly what he had to say.
The earlier news conference held at the Sub Base in Groton had only whetted the media’s — and the nation’s — appetite. In a prepared statement, the navy spokesperson had told the country only that a submarine had left the Electric Boat Shipyard ahead of schedule. The damage to the Coast Guard cutter and the New London Ledge lighthouse were under investigation. In the statement, no fatalities had been reported and no mention was made of any threat. There was also no mention of a hijacking.
Minutes after, however, the terror alert was raised to the highest level, and the public was repeatedly given the statement that the president would be speaking to them shortly. In the meantime, everyone should be observant but should go about their business as they normally would.
Now it was up to Will Hawkins to show them that calm heads were in control of the country. This was not going to be an ordinary briefing. The White House leaked word that the speech writers were taking a back seat on this one. The President would address the nation and tell them the truth — to the extent that he could without creating mass hysteria.
An impossible task, the president thought as he half listened to his aides remind him of last minute details. The director of the camera crew started his countdown. Fifteen seconds to air.
Hawkins downed half the cup of scalding coffee and handed it to an assistant to be taken away. He looked down at the notes he’d rewritten on a piece of paper. He glanced up at the door, behind the camera crew. His campaign manager, Bob Fortier, had just slipped into the room. He received a reassuring nod from him.
The director pointed at the president, gesturing to him that they were live in three seconds. Two. One.
“Good morning, my fellow Americans. Once again, our way of life is today being threatened by terrorist actions. One of our most powerful weapons of war, the fast attack submarine USS Hartford, has been hijacked from a pier on the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut. The nuclear powered Hartford is equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, vertical launch system missiles, and MK48 torpedoes.”
Hawkins paused, to make sure the significance of this registered with the audience. He’d been advised to make no mention of nuclear warheads, since there was a possibility that the hijackers might not be aware of them. Even now, the president considered telling them. He told his cabinet that he believed the people of this country had the right to know the extent of the danger they were exposed to. He told them that he believed the hijackers knew a lot more than his intelligence advisors were giving them credit for. Hartford was hand-picked for this disaster. He’d let the country know when it was necessary.
“Of the regular crew of 121 enlisted and thirteen officers, only two officers and eight enlisted remain aboard. In addition to those, a member of Electric Boat Shipyard management is on board the submarine. At this time we have no information about their safety. We are concerned about their well-being, as we are concerned for the safety of others.”
He accepted a piece of paper that was handed to him by an aide. He glanced at it and put it down.
“As your president, I am not only concerned about those brave sailors and that innocent civilian. My fellow Americans, this hijacking of a powerful weapon in our arsenal of freedom represents a direct attack on our nation. I cannot express this clearly enough. The United States of America is under attack.
“At the present time, Hartford is traveling at the speed of approximately 15 knots in a westerly direction beneath the surface of Long Island Sound. Yes, the submarine is headed toward New York City. But the people of that great city and its boroughs aren’t the only ones in danger. Each of the VLS weapons on Hartford is capable of traveling 1300 miles and hitting targets with an accuracy of a bulls eye the size of a picture window.
“And what is within range? In short, every major metropolitan area and every nuclear power plant east of the Mississippi are within striking distance. Even as I sit here in the White House, my advisors tell me that Washington, DC, is a prime target for the terrorists’ missiles.”
Hawkins briefly looked down at his notes and then looked steadily into the camera, talking to each individual viewer.
“I’d like to remember now a clear, bright September morning in 2001, when hijacked airliners were flown into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and would have undoubtedly struck another target, were it not for the courage of a few Americans in the skies over Pennsylvania. I’d like to remember now the horrible images of fires burning, structures collapsing. I’d like us all to remember the thousands of lives that were lost.
“That said, I want all my fellow Americans to know that we’re doing everything possible to stop another act of mass murder before it occurs.”
He leaned forward in the seat, his voice rising.
“First of all, we will retake that submarine or destroy it before it can do harm to our cities, our towns, our people, or our democratic way of life. To that purpose, I have ordered the entire Atlantic Fleet in pursuit of USS Hartford. I have also ordered the immediate implementation of our nation’s emergency response plans. Our emergency teams are already in place in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, to help direct the orderly evacuation of those cities. Because of the dangers that exist in having a nuclear reactor in the hands of untrained personnel, state and local law enforcement agencies have also been mobilized to help our citizens vacate the areas on either side of the Long Island Sound.”
“Our two-prong goal right now is to stop any attack by these madmen and to take every precaution to protect Americans at home and around the world.”
“Despite the dangers we are facing at this very moment, I have ordered — under the provisions of the Homeland Security Act — that the government continue to function without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington are all open and will remain open. Though I am ordering the New York stock exchanges to remain closed today, the nation’s banks and businesses will remain open as usual. We will not allow these barbarians to succeed in disrupting our lives.”
The president knew this was more rhetorical than true, but he needed to present a forcefully positive outlook on the situation.
“In the meantime, the search is underway for the identities of those men or nations who are responsible for this evil act. I am directing the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find and bring to justice these faceless jackals. I promise you that these men will not remain faceless for long. I also promise you that we will make no distinction between the terrorists who are involved with this act and those who have funded or harbored them.”
He sat up straighter, tried to brighten his expression. “On behalf of the American people, I want to thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their assistance this morning. As always, America stands shoulder to shoulder with our friends and allies in the ongoing war against terrorism.”
In a perfect world, he thought, Americans would be aware of any threat against them before the rest of the world even had a hint of a problem. But they weren’t living in a perfect world.