“P
lease explain to me what’s happening,” the president asked her advisors. Everyone in the Situation Room was staring at a large screen that at one time had three dots on it. Superimposed under the dots was the east coastline of North Korea. In a matter of seconds, two of the dots had disappeared, and General Ford looked very concerned.
The general looked away from the screen and toward the president, avoiding looking her square in the eyes.
“What you are watching is—well, it was the location of our F-35. Two North Korean J-20 jets were in hot pursuit of the F-35. The radar we’re watching is being sent by our Sea-Based X-Band Radar station that is sitting on a semisubmersible oil platform located ten miles off the coast of South Korea in the Sea of Japan.”
“And?” the president prompted, her patience running thin.
“And, my best guess is that our F-35 was shot down, and our pilot was able to take out at least one of the enemy jets.”
“I didn’t know the F-35 could shoot at a jet behind it?” the president said, daring the general to lie to her.
“Sure, it can. The F-35 Gen III Helmet Mounted Display System provides the pilot the ability to—”
“Enough!” the president yelled.
Everyone in the room stopped talking and turned to look at the pair.
A red light on a phone sitting on the big conference table began blinking. The general excused himself and picked up the receiver.
He listened for a moment and then announced to the group, “We have a saltwater emergency beacon that was just activated.”
The general listened for more information. He then turned to the president and asked, “What would you like for us to do?”
“What are you talking about?” President Weston responded.
“Looks like our pilot may have ejected and is floating around in the Sea of Japan. Would you like us to rescue him?”
The president stood up from the table, flipped her bangs out of her eyes, walked to the door and said, “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
A minute later, she was gone. And with that, the situation taking place in the Situation Room had concluded.