Samuel and Savanah sat in quiet dejection, and felt helpless as the precious time on the game clock ticked away. There was less than one minute remaining, and the outcome was no longer in doubt. The L.S.U. Tigers from Baton Rouge had gained possession of the ball, and they would not need to surrender it before time ran out. They would win this game by the score of 24-14, and in honesty, had outplayed Texas A&M in the process. The visiting team deserved to win, but that didn’t make it any easier for Samuel or Savanah.

They shared a wonderful grandfather to granddaughter relationship that was filled with past fun times and fond memories, but Texas A&M football bonded them together more than anything else. As a bright eight year old during the 2026 season Savanah was really beginning to understand how the game worked, and would ask questions to learn more. Samuel had become a willing and eager mentor in her learning process with good intent, but Savanah had unfortunately picked up on one of his traits that could at times become difficult for those around him. Whenever their beloved Aggies were defeated as was the case on this particular Saturday, their collective inner pouting child would rise to the surface. Of course the pouting of Savanah could be understood for a girl of her age, but Samuel was painfully aware that his behavior was a less acceptable shortcoming.

Glancing at his watch, Samuel knew that the time had come and gone. There had been no information relayed on the stadiums public address system as of yet, nor had there been any type of interruption seen on the televisions within their stadium suite. That could only mean one of two things. Either all three of the attacks had somehow been foiled, or they had all been successful in causing serious damage to the media centers at each location. Of course word of the attacks would eventually get out via one form of communication or another, and Samuel knew that as each of the carefully planned assaults had begun roughly twenty minutes earlier, that information could come at any time. The intriguing aspect of the moment for him to ponder was how would said information be conveyed and subsequently received.

The reaction to the attacks, if they had been carried out, by the local, state, and federal authorities, as well as individual hosting universities across the nation and the governing body of the NCAA was unclear. Samuel believed that there were three distinct options, and felt that each had the possibility of existing during the coming hours. There could be nothing done at all in order to avoid a large scale panic, and for games that were nearly complete that may be the best option. Other games could be halted in mid-action for fear of additional attacks, but that would probably be the least favorable option. Unfortunately for those institutions choosing that path, the panic that could ensue would probably cause more harm than good. Of course a third option would be along the lines of what had been employed after the terrorist attacks of September eleventh 2001. That Tuesday morning attack created the postponement of all sporting events in the United States for several days, and college football games slated for the upcoming Saturday were rescheduled for available dates in late November or early December. If such a decision were to be made in the current situation, it would most certainly impact the majority of the west coast universities who had not yet begun their respective contests. With each of these potential scenarios in mind, Samuel had effectively taken Kyle Field and Texas A&M out of the equation back in March when he convinced the athletic director and other members of the university administration to have an early kickoff for this particular game.

His first indication of how the event would be handled then came, as with the game clock at zero and the teams shaking hands at midfield, the public address announcer made a statement. He said, “Ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Texas A&M University and our guests from Louisiana State University, we would like to offer thanks for your patronage of today’s game. Please understand that there is no cause for alarm and that you are not in any danger, but we have an announcement of grave concern that we feel you should all be made aware of. A moment ago our media representatives received word that the three military academies located in Annapolis, Colorado Springs, and West Point were each attacked by an unknown military force. Those attacks apparently transpired simultaneously roughly twenty minutes ago, but unfortunately we have no other details to offer you at this time.”

As many of the Texas A&M alumni had served in the military, and perhaps along with some of the current corps of cadets had at one time aspired to attend one of the impacted academies, they expressed more sorrow at the announcement than a typical civilian may have. That sorrow came without panic however, but the same could not be said for many civilians within the stadium. Samuel noticed that the stadium cleared out much faster than at the completion of most games, and he theorized that the traffic leading away from Kyle Field would soon become a nightmare as people attempted to reach the perceived safety of their homes. That didn’t much matter to Samuel and the rest of the Tillman family, as they usually stayed in their stadium suite for an hour or so after the game. Regardless of how others reacted in the current moment, Samuel had his answer to the question of if the attacks had transpired. The fact that news of the attack had not become national via the media for perhaps fifteen minutes was the bonus he and the other attack planners had hoped for, as those minutes would surely aid in the escape plans of those involved. What Samuel needed to do next over the course of the upcoming days was to observe and study the subsequent impact on American society. Would the events of November fourteenth bring the nation together with the demand of a reprisal toward some foreign entity as he hoped, and if so, would it remain that way for an extended length of time?