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President Campbell was meeting with the Joint Chiefs and his advisors in the situation room in the basement of the West Wing. Before the meeting, he'd gone into the bathroom to throw up. The decisions he made today might bring peace, or they might bring the end of civilization.
It's not easy for someone who desires peace to meet an existential threat with the resolve required. The last thing Campbell had ever wanted was the power to bring life or death to millions of people.
A long, polished table ran the length of the room. Campbell sat at the head of the table. Behind him, the presidential seal was displayed on the wall. At the other end of the room, a dozen large-screen monitors displayed live satellite feeds from Russia and around the world. Off to the side was another room, walled off with a glass partition. Behind the glass was a bank of computer consoles manned by military personnel.
Rebecca Kramer had finished summarizing the Russian plan of attack.
"You are absolutely certain this intelligence is accurate?"
"Yes, Mister President."
"Admiral Stone?"
"It's accurate, Mister President. We've confirmed that the entire Russian submarine fleet is at sea."
"All of it?"
"Yes, sir. All of it. All of their boomers and all their serviceable attack submarines."
"Boomers?"
"Their ballistic missile submarines, sir. They've been sneaking them out over the last three months."
"Director Kramer. Can you tell me why the hell you didn't notice what the Russians were doing?"
"With all due respect, sir, submarines are..."
Campbell was angry. He cut her off.
"Don't bullshit me, Director. I don't want to hear your excuses."
Kramer's hatchet face turned pink.
He turned to General Kroger, sitting opposite Kramer at the table. Admiral Stone sat on Kroger's right. The stars on their uniforms glittered under the overhead lights. Secretary of Defense Dixon sat next to Admiral Stone. Walter Covington sat next to Kramer. As always, he was impeccably dressed. Kaplan sat next to him. He looked as though he'd slept in his suit.
"General, these torpedoes or missiles, or whatever they are. Will they work? Can we stop them?"
"We believe they will work, Mister President. We've been keeping an eye on the development of these weapons for some time. They use a radical propulsion system that drives them at high speed. They are armed with a high yield nuclear warhead."
"How high, General?"
"Fifty megatons, Mister President. The equivalent of a hydrogen bomb."
"Jesus," Dixon said.
"It gets worse," Kroger said. "The Russians have developed advanced stealth technology for their subs. They can bring them in close to their targets before launch. They're fast and virtually invisible. They will be difficult to intercept."
"Are you saying we can't stop them?"
"No, sir. I'm saying it will be difficult. The best way to stop them would be to prevent those weapons from being launched in the first place."
"What are you suggesting, General?"
Kroger took a breath, knowing what he was about to say would not be easy to hear.
"Sir, we need to consider a preemptive strike. If those torpedoes make landfall, our ability to respond will be seriously compromised. Their subs may already be in position."
"If they are already in position, a preemptive strike will not stop them from launching. I will not be the person to initiate Armageddon, General. Unless we are under attack, our missiles will stay in their silos."
"Yes, sir."
"Admiral Stone, what do you think?"
"Sir, the Russian technology is good, but it's not perfect. We've detected a number of their subs lurking off our coasts in the past week. It's not unusual for the Russians to sneak up as close as they can get. They're careful to stay in international waters, so there's not much we can do except watch them. We shadow them with our attack subs. They know we're there, and they know that we know what they're doing. It's a game of hide and seek. What's unusual in this instance is the number of submarines we have detected. It tends to confirm the intelligence Director Kramer has presented."
"Damn it, Admiral, are they in position to attack or not?"
"Yes, sir, they are. If that's their intention."
"Sir, this plan of theirs is designed to significantly degrade our ability to respond," Covington said. "It's not only the torpedoes. It's a coordinated attack. They intend to destroy our fleet in the Mediterranean and follow up with ICBMs and missiles from their subs. Mister President, they are planning total war."
Dixon spoke up.
"I don't understand why Tarasov thinks he can get away with this. A sneak nuclear attack would devastate us, but total war is a lousy strategy. Our submarines alone have enough missiles to wipe Moscow and most of Russia off the face of the earth. Doesn't he realize that?"
"His generals have probably told him they can knock out most of our subs," Admiral Stone said.
"Can they?"
"No, not enough," Stone said. "He can get some of them, but the others will launch. Even if they manage to take out most of our land-based sites and some of our subs, Russia will be destroyed. It's a certainty."
"Then why initiate this insane plan?"
"Tarasov hates us," Kramer said. "He blames us for everything. His father was killed in Afghanistan by an American missile. Then his country ceased to exist when we won the Cold War. He's not acting rationally, and it makes him dangerous. He's surrounded by hawks who see us as the enemy. The blockade backed him into a corner and now he has to do something. It's personal for him."
"General Kroger."
"Sir."
"What is our current defense status?"
"We are at DEFCON 3, Mister President. We have been since our aircraft was shot down in Syria."
DEFCON 3 meant that the armed forces were on a heightened state of alert. Some bombers were in the air, the rest could be deployed within fifteen minutes. Launch preparations for the ICBMs had not yet been initiated. DEFCON 3 was the midpoint between peace and war.
"We don't have a choice. Go to DEFCON 2," Campbell said.
"Worldwide?" Kroger asked.
DEFCON 2 was one step short of nuclear war. The bombers would be sent to their failsafe points. All of America's enormous military might would be ready to deploy and fight within hours. The missiles would be readied for immediate launch. DEFCON 2 had only been reached once in the past, during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. It had never been activated on a worldwide basis.
"Yes, General. Worldwide."
"Yes, Mister President."
Kroger got up and went into the glassed off area. They watched him pick up a phone.
"Sir, this is a high-risk strategy," Dixon said. "The Russians will think we're getting ready to attack. It could provoke them to launch."
"Tarasov has created this situation, Richard. There's no time to pussyfoot around. I'm going to call him in the next few minutes and tell him we know what he's up to. He's not going to get away with this. I want him to know we're going to stop him."
"Sir, I'd like to be excused," Admiral Stone said. "I should be at the command center."
"Of course, Admiral. Harold, find the interpreter and get her in here."
"Yes, sir," Kaplan said.
He followed Admiral Stone out of the room.
Dixon said, "Sir, we should activate COGCON and get you to Air Force One."
COGCON was a multi tier plan to preserve the government of the United States in the event of war. Part of that plan was to move the president onto Air Force One, where he could command from the air. Theoretically, it was safer than remaining on the ground in the event of war. The nuclear codes would go with him.
"I appreciate the thought, Richard, but I'm not going anywhere. Let's see what Tarasov says before we trigger COGCON."
"At least go down to the emergency command center."
"After I talk to Tarasov."
Campbell turned to Kramer.
"Well, Director. This is a fine mess."
"Yes, Mister President, it is."
"You didn't vote for me, did you?"
"No, sir."
"Why not? Be honest. I want to know."
"Frankly, sir, I didn't believe you would stand up to people like Tarasov."
"It's no secret I have sought to encourage peace rather than war. To the shame of the human race, there are always people like Tarasov and his generals. He's left me no choice. I refuse to start this war, but if he goes ahead with his reckless plan, I will finish it."
"Yes, sir."
"You know him better than I do, Director. Do you have any suggestions before I call?"
"Above all else, Tarasov is a survivor. Mister President, if you can convince him you are serious about using our nukes against him, he may call off the attack. Their plan depends on complete surprise. It's the critical element. That is now impossible. We know it's coming. He can't stop us from sending Russia back into the Stone Age."
"His generals will resist backing down."
"You might suggest he find a way to, um, neutralize their advice."
"A purge?"
"Perhaps if these radical elements among his advisers were no longer in a position to influence him, better relations between our two nations could be established."
"I'm beginning to see why you achieved your current position."
There was a knock on the door. Kaplan entered with the translator. In the days of Kennedy and the Cold War there had been a separate phone on the president's desk, with a dedicated line to the Kremlin. That was ancient history. Once the translator was ready, all Campbell had to do was press a button and he would be connected through a satellite link to Tarasov's office in the Kremlin.
"Ready, sir," the translator said.
Campbell pressed the button.