It was done.
The first step had been taken.
With the final release order, three American cities would soon be basking under the warm glow of nuclear annihilation.
The president removed his hand. “Thank you, General.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll inform you when the assets are ready.”
The call was terminated.
In a matter of a few short seconds, the world had crossed a threshold it had avoided crossing since the end of World War II.
“Andrew, you need to sleep now. You’ve done the right thing. You need some rest.”
“I’m so tired.”
“I know you are.”
“So tired.”
“Rest now, Andrew. Rest.” She watched as the president’s face returned to its former puppet visage.
It was time for the puppet master to leave.
She had calls to make.
As Jessie left the Oval Office, Andrew sat alone at his desk, trying to comprehend what had just happened. He knew he’d done something he’d always dreaded, but it had come so simply to him… It had been so easy. He had used the panel numerous times during exercises and simulations, but it had never been for real.
But he’d done the right thing. She’d said so. She’s right. It’s the only course of action to take. Had to do it. Had to. It was so easy. So easy.
Down deep, a part of Andrew Smith was screaming a warning, but it was far too quiet for his heart to hear.
Her phone—this phone — was not monitored. It had taken a considerable amount of effort — and numerous personal connections — to ensure it was so. As she punched in the first set of numbers, she knew it had all been worth it.
“Yes?” An answer.
“This is One. The kindling is burning. In my house.”
“When?”
“Today.”
“I shall warm myself by the fire.”
She hung up the phone. The memorized code words had been spoken in Russian, but their meaning was clear.
She repeated the calls to other numbers, speaking the same words in Chinese, Korean, German, French, Hebrew, and even English — with, of course, a British accent.
We shall warm ourselves by the fire.
There was no stopping it now.
CHAPTER 55
“Thad, this is Derek Rammes.” It had been years since he’d talked to the man. He’d tried to avoid it as much as possible, but the current situation deemed any further avoidance on his part impossible. Using first names instead of rank or title made it easier to stomach — the fact that Thad Metzger was now chairman of the Joint Chiefs twisted his guts into a greasy knot. He’d disliked the man since their days together at the Point.
“Hello, General. How are things in Utah?”
“Beautiful. Just beautiful.” So much for using first names, Rammes thought. “Listen, General, I’ve been having some difficulties getting information through to the president.”
“Why?”
“I’m having to go through the damned national security advisor. She’s got the president completely secluded from the normal communication channels and—”
“Things don’t always work as advertised in a time of war, General Rammes.”
No shit, Thad. He fumed. “I understand that, but this is highly irregular.”
“Irregular in what way, General?”
“Access to the president of the United States is being controlled by a single person. The normal channels in place to get information to him are not being used. They were set up to function in a time of war, and like you said yourself, this is a time of war.”
“But it’s not a normal war, General Rammes. Not normal at all. We’ve never seen anything like this before, and the National Command Authority is functioning as it should in a fast-moving, fluctuating situation.”
“That’s a load of crap, Thad, and you know it.”
“You need to remember who you’re addressing, General Rammes.”
“I know exactly who I’m addressing, Thad. I know you better than most, remember?”
“We’re not cadets anymore. That was a long time ago, and we’ve moved on to other things, gone our separate ways. Some of us have progressed in our careers further than others and now find ourselves in positions of greater responsibility. You need to respect that.”
“You’re in that position because Ray Smythe blew his own head off, and furthermore, the only reason you got command of STRATCOM was—” Careful, he is a senior officer. Rammes knew he could be removed if he went too far, and now was not the time to get himself benched. “Look, General Metzger, all I’m saying is I’m uncomfortable with the way things are being run up there. I don’t have a good feeling about the national security advisor and the way she’s controlling access to our commander in chief.”
Metzger sighed on the other end of the secure line, much like a parent who’s tiring of explaining the same thing to an inquisitive child for the fifteenth time. “The president is being deluged by information. He’s had to watch hundreds of thousands, if not millions of his citizens die at the hands of these monsters, and he’s tired. He’s exhausted. The information is getting to him, it’s just being filtered appropriately.”
“Filtered appropriately?” Rammes couldn’t believe what he’d heard.
“Is that too tough a term for you to understand, General?”
“Oh no, sir, it’s not too tough at all. I just want to know what’s being filtered. If we come up with a solution to this whole mess, the president will need to know about it immediately. There’s no time for it to go through some filter.”
“You can rest assured that if you do find a solution, I will get your information to the president immediately. I also suggest you spend your time trying to find that solution rather than walking the thin line of insubordination with me. Do I make myself clear, General Rammes?”
You… are an asshole. “Clear. We’re working on that solution now. Two of the casings are being analyzed as we speak. We’re watching the catharsis process run its course, and hopefully we’ll find a way to kill these things before we have to blow half the country to bits to stop them.”
“Then, you’d better speed things up, General.” The statement had an ominous tone to it.
“Why?” Rammes knew what the answer would be.
“We’re launching today. This afternoon. Against the fixed locations of the bird casings.”
“Thad, you need to give us a chance here. Don’t let them do this. Not yet.”
“It’s already done. POTUS has given the order.”
“Jesus Christ! Those cities are still evacuating!”
“We don’t have a choice.”
“Bullshit! We always have a choice! We’re talking about nuking our own country, for Christ’s sake!”
“This conversation is over, General Rammes.”
The connection went dead.
Rammes pressed another button on his secure phone.
CHAPTER 56
“Madame Vice President, General Rammes is on the line for you. Button four.”
“Thank you, Commander.” High over the northwestern United States in her airborne command and control aircraft, the vice president swung her chair toward her secure phone. “Hello, General. Good news, I hope?”