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Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, FL
14 February
1845 Local Time
Vice President Kerry Johnson felt a tap on his shoulder as he stood watching the final laps of the race from the comfort of the luxury suite. The cars under the track’s brilliant spotlights had just gone back to racing after an accident had caused a late-race caution. Johnson turned to see his chief of staff Marvin Bradley trying to capture his attention.
“Sir, we need to get going,” Bradley said as he leaned in to whisper in the Vice President’s ear. “The Secret Service has prepared our departure.”
Johnson dismissively held up a long, slender finger as he kept his attention on the pack of stock cars rumbling by. “I already told them that I’m staying as scheduled, Marvin,” Johnson replied.
After learning of the attacks in the Pacific, Johnson and Bradley had engaged in a very detailed discussion on the political ramifications of staying and completing their speech after the race, or returning to Washington. Bradley had been very much in favor of returning to Washington to show their administration’s resolve to face the threat head on.
But Johnson’s argument had been simple – the terrorists only win when they influence and disrupt everyday behavior. It would be better to continue the events as planned and then make a reference to the administration’s continuing resolve to fight terrorism during his speech in Victory Lane at the end of the race. There would be plenty of time to show their resolve after the FBI had completed its investigation.
It was just another argument Bradley had lost during the weekend, having been against Johnson’s appearance at NASCAR’s flagship race in the first place. NASCAR fans weren’t generally part of their voter base, he’d argued, and going out of their way to try to win the hearts and minds of these people after such a controversial election seemed to be an exercise in futility. Their time could have been better spent at a fundraiser they had been invited to in New York, Bradley pled.
“Sir, this was an order from President Clifton,” Bradley continued, trying to talk over the roar of the passing race cars while still being discreet about it. “She’s ordered Eagle Sunrise Level Two.”
Johnson turned to face Bradley. Eagle Sunrise was the codename for their continuity of government exercise. It had been tweaked in the previous two administrations, creating a three-level system that determined the protection level of high-level members of government. Level One was very basic, simply requiring key figures to discontinue public appearances and return to their estates where the Secret Service had more control. Level Two required relocation to more isolated locations such as Camp David, while Level Three involved relocation to secret bunkers located throughout the United States.
“You’re sure?” Johnson asked, dividing his attention between Bradley and the race as the flagman dropped the white flag. A former businessman, Johnson’s company had once sponsored a NASCAR team. Although his appearance was political, he enjoyed the races.
“Yes, sir,” Bradley said, nodding enthusiastically.
Johnson delayed as the stock cars made their way back around the track at speeds upwards of two hundred miles per hour. As they jockeyed for position in the final turn, the cars behind the leader touched, scattering the field as cars crashed into each other down the front straight. Johnson watched intently as the caution flag dropped along with the checkered flag and the emergency crews sped onto the track.
“Ha! Now we can leave,” Johnson said as he clapped his hands.
“This way, sir,” a nearby Secret Service agent directed. Johnson’s entourage of agents, aides, and staffers swept him out of the luxury suite and into the elevator where two agents were standing guard. Reaching the ground level, he was directed to a waiting convoy of armored SUVs and driven to the airport that sat next to the speedway.
“Did you let them know I wouldn’t be able to speak?” Johnson asked as fireworks lit up the night sky around them.
“Yes, sir,” Bradley responded. “They were told that you were tentative beforehand. It should be pretty transparent to their network coverage.”
“Excellent,” Johnson said. “Where is the President now?”
“She is on her way to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, where she will make a brief statement before continuing back to Washington,” Bradley responded as he scrolled through his tablet.
Johnson held back a smile as he turned to look out the window. “Do we know why she’s panicking like this?”
“Credible threat,” Bradley said with a shrug. “After all that has gone on this morning, she doesn’t want to risk it.”
“Yes,” Johnson said with a slight grin. “Can’t be too careful.”
The motorcade didn’t stop as it passed through the gates of the airport and headed toward the waiting white and blue Boeing 757 on the ramp. The four-vehicle convoy stopped as agents exited and escorted the Vice President to the air stairs of the running passenger jet.
Johnson and Bradley quickly ascended the air stairs and made their way to the executive suite of the reconfigured passenger jet. The Air Force crew confirmed that the Vice President was ready and began their preparations for takeoff. Moments later, the jet made the short taxi to the active runway for takeoff.
Once they were safely airborne, Johnson’s aides pulled up the video teleconferencing screens and prepared the connection with the President. On the multiple large screens on the wall, the Vice President was patched into an on-going secure video conference with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Attorney General, and the President.
“Kerry, I trust you’re ok,” the President said, as the group paused to allow the Vice President to connect. “We were just discussing our options going forward. Are you up to speed?”
Bradley handed Johnson a red folder with a classified summary sheet of the day’s events. Johnson put on his reading glasses over his long, crooked nose as he studied the file. “Thank you, Madam President, I am fine,” Johnson said as he read the summary of the information they had on the attacks. “I am caught up now.”
“Good,” the President responded. “I’m sorry to steal you away from your race car event, but I think the threat is credible and I want you in on this decision going forward.”
“What decision?” Johnson asked as he thumbed past the summary into the specifics of each attack on the intel briefing in front of him.
“Military options, sir,” General Andrew Kelly interjected. The gruff Army General stared at the screen, waiting for Johnson’s response.
“This report says terrorism,” Johnson said, holding up the red folder. “Isn’t it a little early to start talking about getting into another long, unwinnable war with terrorists?”
“It’s not a strike, Kerry, but nearly every base in the region has been hit on the day that I announced our strategic partnership with Taiwan to secure their independence,” President Clifton interjected. “We’re barely a month into this administration, and I’m not about to show weakness.”
“Madeline, I told you we should have waited on Taiwan,” Johnson said shaking his head. “It was not originally a major campaign issue for the voters and it’s really none of our business.”
“Not now, Kerry,” the President said dismissively. “You know very well that it’s more complicated than that.”
Johnson and Clifton had been forced together by their party. She had been a fairly junior senator when she received the nomination for a presidential run. As the outgoing Secretary of Defense, party leaders thought Johnson’s cabinet experience combined with his experience as a businessman in the oil industry would shore up some of the issues with her experience. The chance of being the party to put forth the first female President was just too good to pass up.
The combination worked well at first. The two were in lockstep agreement in almost every category – from social issues to economic policy. But where they differed greatly was foreign policy.
The elections had come during a time of global political change. As America had taken a more passive role on the world stage, countries such as Russia and China were attempting to assert themselves as the new world leaders to fill the power void.
As these two superpowers stepped up, they began asserting their influence over their regional interests, beginning with Russia in the Ukraine. With relatively nonexistent world opposition, Russia easily annexed Ukraine. Their justification for their act of aggression was Russian interests in securing their unabated travel to their strategic ports in the Black Sea. Emboldened by Russia’s actions, China stated its goals to follow suit in Taiwan.
Taiwan and the Taiwan Straits had long been a sore spot for the Chinese since the Chinese Civil War of 1949. Separatists fled the Chinese nationalists to the island of Taiwan, and after intense fighting, essentially stood down the Chinese Army as they created their own government. Over the next nearly sixty years, China maintained a “one-China” policy, claiming Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China, despite Taiwan’s insistence that it was a sovereign government and multiple requests to be recognized by the United Nations.
For years, Taiwan remained a hotspot in the region. The U.S. maintained a policy of passive support, supplying weapons and training to the Taiwanese, but allowing a treaty to help defend the small island to expire. It was a flashpoint that had the potential to kick off a world war with two nuclear powers. But knowing that it would start a war with the Chinese, the U.S. refused to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation. It was a foreign policy issue that most U.S. leaders were happy to ignore as long as the status quo was maintained.
But as China became emboldened by the successes of Russia in Ukraine, the rhetoric increased. The once amicable relationship between the People’s Republic of China and the Taiwanese government deteriorated. The Chinese demanded that Taiwan be fully integrated into China and its functional government and the military be absorbed by the Chinese Communist Party.
As China’s military power shifted from a defensive to a more offensive capability, other regional powers took notice, demanding that the United States take a stand. For countries like Japan and South Korea, the Taiwan Strait was an essential sea route for oil shipment from the Middle East, and Taiwan served as a major trade partner. Fearful that Chinese aggression over Taiwan would lead to further expansion, the Japanese threatened to intervene if the U.S. continued to sit on the sidelines.
Out of a misspeak during a foreign policy debate in the primaries, Madeline Clifton’s aggressive foreign policy stance toward China was born. She talked tough, vowing to reestablish the United States as a world leader through thoughtful leadership. She would stop the aggression of countries like Russia and China, and restore stability in the world. But when asked if she planned to support Taiwan’s push for independence, she let slip that she would support any nation’s peaceful opposition to the aggressive encroachment of overreaching superpowers. In doing so, she had inadvertently taken a hardline stance on the Taiwan issue. Despite her best attempts to backtrack, it polled so well with women ages eighteen to thirty-five that her campaign had no choice but to own it.
Johnson hated it, and every chance he could, told Clifton that she was risking starting the next world war over polling numbers. There was no scenario he could think of that didn’t end in war with the Chinese, and after years of battling terrorists on multiple fronts, the country couldn’t stomach that. Clifton argued, however, that the people had spoken. The world needed a woman’s touch for a change, and the voters were convinced she could bring the world to the table to support independence and freedom without bloodshed. She was convinced that she could build a coalition of world leaders to peacefully stand up to the Chinese, allow the Taiwanese to have their freedom, and create a new era of Americans leading diplomatically. And yet here she is, talking about military options less than a month into her Presidency, Johnson thought as he considered his next words carefully.
“You’re right, Madam President, I apologize,” Johnson said finally. “I just want to make sure we send the right message.”
“We will,” Clifton replied. “I would like to plus up our forces in the region to deter anyone – China or North Korea – from getting any ideas, but primarily, we are going to lean on the governments in the region diplomatically to help us find the groups responsible for this. I’ve instructed Attorney General Engall to start working on a plan to work with the State Department to create a task force with the regional governments in the area to investigate and bring to justice those responsible. We are not the only country with problems with terrorism.”
“Yes, Madam President, we are working on a plan for that right now,” the Attorney General said. “The issue is going to be figuring out a way to share information without sharing our specific law enforcement methods.”
“Full cooperation, Mr. Engall,” the President responded. “If they are willing to work with us, I don’t want them to feel like we’re holding anything back.”
Engall frowned and then reluctantly responded, “Yes, Madam President. I will get a plan to you within the hour.”
“Let’s reconvene in an hour,” the President said. “Thank you all for your time.”
As the other cabinet members signed off, Johnson smiled and said, “Have a safe flight, Madam President.”
“Thanks, Kerry,” she responded. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
Johnson nodded as the screen went blank. He let out a long sigh as he turned and looked at his Chief of Staff.
“She can’t say I never warned her,” Johnson said as he leaned back in the executive leather chair.
“No, sir, she can’t,” Bradley said with a grin.