Total Empire, page 24
Blankenship returned with Bertrand, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Rolfing, National Security Advisor Benito Kidman, and Chief of Staff Quad Jordan. They huddled in the office as the behemoth aircraft powered through the low-pressure system engulfing the East Coast. Bertrand was small and diminutive sitting next to the large General Rolfing, whose hands rested on the top of the desk as if in prayer, which might have been the case given the gravity of the situation. Quad and Kidman sat behind Campbell in the small conference room.
“Where’s Bryn?” Campbell asked.
“She’s in Dakhla, Morocco, trying to defuse the situation diplomatically, Madam President,” Blankenship said. Her voice was sheepish. “I was supposed to join her today per your directions.”
Campbell and Blankenship eyed each other coolly.
“Things have been happening so fast,” Blankenship said. “I’m sure she has tried to reach you.”
Campbell looked at Bertrand and said, “Even though the detonation was thirty miles west of the capital, who is to say that the capital wasn’t the intended target? Or that a second hypersonic missile isn’t already inbound or planned? Or Joint Base Andrews?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Bertrand said.
“But first, I have two questions. What are the initial casualties, and do we have any capability to track these missiles?”
“Too soon for casualty counts, but it’s … bad,” Bertrand said. “I’ve got communications with DHS and FEMA. Most are moving to Raven Rock. Regarding the missiles, the remaining four are in outer space right now, circling the globe like the space shuttle. It’s a speck of hardware in an endless void. So, no,” he said.
“Can’t we find their communications link? Cut that?”
“Maybe,” Bertrand said. “But I wouldn’t count on it. Chinese advances in quantum computing, much of which was stolen from us or handed to them by us over the past two years, have hardened their pipes, making it nearly impossible to penetrate their communications infrastructure. That’s their gambit.”
“Yet they can hack our stuff routinely?” Campbell said.
“Yes, ma’am. China has been preparing for this. We have … been unable to get out of our own way.”
“Ma’am, the Chinese have seventeen missile silos that have opened with rockets firing for launch, according to the commander of the Defense Intelligence Agency,” General Rolfing said. His voice was baritone, packed with gravel.
“So how do we know this but not where the hypersonic missiles are?”
“We knew they launched like any other space launch, but once in space, we have no way to track them,” Bertrand said.
“What is the intent of the Chinese with these missiles?” Campbell asked, her voice strained. She might have been wondering if this was it, the nuclear holocaust that so many had predicted and feared during the Cold War with Russia.
“We have no way of telling until the rockets leave the tubes and see whether the arcs are parabolic, which would indicate a traditional intercontinental ballistic missile, or vertical, which would indicate a hypersonic launch into the atmosphere, like the space shuttle, where the missile will orbit until the Chinese are confident in their targeting accuracy,” Bertrand said.
“Why launch this many if they’re not confident?” Campbell asked.
“Indeed,” Bertrand said.
“Options?”
“If the DNI believes the Chinese capabilities are in place, then our only option is to launch a counterstrike,” General Rolfing said. “I’ve placed the nuclear triad on our highest mission-readiness status. Missile teams are in their silos. The submarines are in position in the Pacific. The bombers based in Guam are scrambling, as are the strategic forces globally.”
“I think diplomacy still has a path,” Blankenship said.
“Diplomacy? With one nuke detonated near our nation’s capital and four circling the globe with another seventeen in the air? How do you propose we negotiate our way out of this?” Campbell asked.
“We can reach out to President Shin and talk to him,” Blankenship said. “The Chinese conduct open-port missile-launch tests all the time. There’s no guarantee that those open silos are going to launch weapons.”
“The fact remains, Angela, that they have already struck the United States. We are in an airplane because it is not safe to be with the citizens who elected me and who depend upon us for security. The one thing we can’t fuck up, we seem to be fucking up,” she said, holding a single index finger up above the lacquered wooden table. Sunlight splashed into the office as the airplane broke through the dark, sleet-ridden layers of cloud.
“We have about thirty seconds after launch to make a decision,” General Rolfing said.
“Our interceptors?” Campbell asked.
“Useless against hypersonic missiles. Useful but not perfect against ballistic missiles,” Bertrand said. “The new versions of the Chinese DF-41 solid-fuel rocket can range just about anywhere in the United States. The hypersonic glide vessels are for stealth and strategic surprise. It makes sense they would then follow with ICBMs once contact has been initiated. They want us to know they’re ready to fight back. They have over one hundred new missile silos in the desert in between Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan. If that’s what they launch, we will be able to track and know precise targets after a minute of flight time based upon algorithmic interpretations,” Bertrand said.
An aide stuck his head in the office and said, “Madam President, President Shin is calling for you.”
Campbell looked around the room, making eye contact with everyone, then looked back at the aide and said, “Patch him through.”
The aide pressed a button on the secure starfish phone sitting in the middle of the desk. The airplane banked in the sky, causing the sunlight from the porthole window to move slowly across the tabletop, rotating from west to east.
“President Campbell,” President Shin said. Shin was a lifetime Communist Party official, a member of the Yue Fei Loyalist Society, and a lifelong operative within the Central Military Commission, beginning as an officer in special forces and transitioning to his civilian leadership roles. A dedicated communist, Shin believed the manifest destiny of China was to impose global domination on the world to enrich and better the Chinese people. The Chinese strategy was one of strategic patience, allowing the United States to expend resources on its domestic divisions.
“Madam President,” Shin said. While this team had spoken with Shin before on a previous presidential call, they had no actual way of confirming it was Shin.
“President Shin. You’ve started World War III,” Campbell said. Sitting across from Campbell, Blankenship shook her head either in dismay at the bellicose words or as a signal to Campbell to tone it down.
“We’ve done no such thing. I was calling you to say that whatever happened in Virginia was an accident. We are merely testing capabilities, and one got away from us. We have no malicious intent,” Shin said.
“You really expect me to believe that you lost control of one of your missiles that violates our agreements, and it just happened to land thirty miles from our capital?”
“I can’t make you believe the truth if you do not want to see it. We have no agreements on hypersonic missiles. We have reached out to your government many times to discuss these matters, but with no success.”
“What do you want?”
“I am not accustomed to such harsh language, Madam President. I prefer to speak in friendlier terms.”
“You’ve nuked our country. What is stopping us from a retaliatory strike?”
Shin said nothing for a moment and then replied, “I’m assuming that’s a rhetorical question.”
“Actually, it’s not.”
“Then only you know the answer to that. I’m sure your intelligence apparatus has provided you the information that we have other missiles prepared should you do so. We are prepared for a nuclear war. The damage you inflict on my people will only enrage them for all-out conflict. Total violence. We will stop at nothing should you strike our homeland intentionally.”
“I don’t like your threats, especially after you’ve already attacked us,” Campbell said.
“As I mentioned, that was not an intentional strike. It was an accident. The media is already reporting it as such. We have issued a statement and express our deepest regrets at any loss of life. We are prepared to make those families whole. It seems someone in your defense establishment disrupted the flight of our vessel and caused it to land in your Virginia region.”
Campbell didn’t respond for a full minute. The phone connection crackled with static, no doubt recorded by Chinese and American intelligence agencies. Kidman leaned across her and scribbled a number on the notepad in front of her.
“We have over three thousand dead, President Shin. You are responsible for these deaths,” Campbell said.
“I accept full responsibility even though Americans meddled with our system. As I said, I will make their families whole. I do not want more bloodshed.”
“Surely you cannot believe that you can simply attack us and then pretend it was an accident and we all agree that it is fine,” Campbell said.
“I see no other option. We can discuss economic renumeration or other ways to offset the loss and humiliation on the world stage,” Shin said.
“What are you prepared to give in exchange for us to not retaliate?” Campbell asked. Bertrand snapped his head up from his note-taking and glared at the president.
“That is the wrong question. The proper question is what you are prepared to deliver in order to avoid conflict. We have a large supply of weapons prepared to release and to launch. While you have been focused on internal divisions, we have thought this through and will stand firm in our resolve to create a peaceful international order. The United Nations is archaic and U.S.-centric. Our proposal is a fair one. We build the structure in Dakhla, Morocco. Common ground in a disputed province on a neglected piece of the world. Sign phase two of the Dakhla Accords and everything will be okay. It will signal your intent for peace.”
“Blackmail? I expected more. We will not subjugate ourselves to any international order,” Campbell said. “And you’re not getting anything from us.”
“This is a new alliance between China and the United States, the CUSP, where we combine our collective resources and govern in a united fashion. Our economies are closely linked. All the infrastructure is already in place. Why should we be competitors when we can be teammates and lead the world? We can do a lot of good, too, for the people your country pretends to care about. The downtrodden, the poor, the immigrants, the environment. All of that is on the agenda if you peacefully join forces with us.”
“This is what I was talking about, Madam President,” Blankenship said. “As part of the Dakhla Accords, we discussed these types of partnerships to further our social agendas and strengthen transparency on the international level. Phase two would solidify those commitments.”
“Your secretary of defense is a wise woman, President Campbell. You should listen to her,” Shen said.
“President Shin, if you are offering transparency, then advise me of your intentions with the other four missiles in orbit and your ballistic missiles that are smoking in their holes right now,” Campbell said.
“As I’ve stated, I need you to sign on to the China-U.S. Partnership and delivery of your quantum codes, which provide us the transparency into your systems to ensure you are complying with the terms of the agreement. It’s like blockchain. Perfect transparency. I believe one of your presidents used the phrase trust, but verify,” Shin said.
“Absolutely not,” Campbell said.
“Very well, then. I will not beg. I suggest you think about the concept of the prisoner’s dilemma. Which one of us is bluffing? Which one of us is defecting?” Shin replied.
“You’ve already defected,” Campbell said. “Withdraw your weapons, and then we will negotiate.”
“I have no weapons deployed. We are conducting tests as you do with your many space launches. Mistakes happen, and I would hate to see more mistakes occur,” Shin said.
“It won’t be a mistake when we unleash our nuclear arsenal on your country,” Campbell said.
“I suspect that my country has more appetite for casualties than yours. Our mistake with the virus indicated such. Now we have a mistake with a nuclear weapon. You should check your media reports.”
Campbell turned to Bertrand, who began typing on his tablet.
“‘America interferes in Chinese missile test, causing nuclear explosion in Northern Virginia,’” Bertrand read from the screen. “Holy shit, the media is already blaming us.” He continued reading. “‘President Campbell directed interference in China’s peaceful missile tests while Secretary of Defense Blankenship has wisely encouraged restraint and transparency through phase two of the highly ambitious Dakhla Accords.’”
“Like I said, it was an accident. I don’t blame America solely. Your General Sinclair has been disrupting things, and so perhaps he is rightfully to blame,” Shin said. “And it does seem there are dozens of other articles and reports about to confirm that the United States cut the link to our missile test at your request and against Secretary Blankenship’s wishes, and there was no way to determine where it might land. Again, my apologies. We are providing a statement that we will make the people whole no matter what you choose to do about the situation.”
“The problem is that half the country will believe this Chinese misinformation, and the media monster just feeds it to them,” Campbell said. “It’s what happens when you build Frankenstein’s monster. He eventually turns on you.”
“Perhaps the beast has been better cared for somewhere else,” Shin said.
Campbell looked at Blankenship and said, “Secretary Blankenship, do you have anything you’d like to say to President Shin?”
Blankenship looked at Campbell and then the phone.
“President Shin, as President Campbell said, we seek a reasonable peace. We’d like you to cease testing of all weapons of mass destruction, and then we can talk.”
“I am trying to be reasonable by offering a compromise,” Shin said.
“President Shin,” Campbell said. “Withdraw your weapons, and only then can we talk.”
“I’m sorry you’ve made this decision,” Shin said. “The world will suffer.”
The phone line went dead. Everyone was silent for a full minute until Bertrand interrupted the silence with, “Over three thousand dead. Radiation field is growing with the wind blowing from the northwest, directly into Fairfax County.”
“That will be all, except for you, Koby,” Campbell said.
Once everyone had left, Bertrand closed the door and said, “Jesus Christ, what a shit show.”
“Do we have a status on Garrett?”
“Yes, they’re in trouble. The base station reported that someone has hacked their positions.”
“Hacked their positions?”
“I’ve got a trace on where the hack came from. Looks like DIA, who reports to Blankenship.”
“The call she made from the tarmac,” Campbell said.
“Maybe.”
“Have the Secret Service arrest her. I’ve got all her communications devices here,” she said, pointing at the desk. “Have your people scour them.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Tell me they still have a chance.”
“It’s Garrett Sinclair. He always has a chance,” Bertrand said.
Campbell looked out the window, a bright square of sunlight cutting across her face.
“We’ve put him in an impossible position, but yes, if anyone can do it, he can. He must.”
She picked up the burner cell phone and looked at it as if willing it to ring. No doubt she was trapped in the dilemma of saving herself, saving her country, and saving me. Obviously frustrated, she tossed the phone against the wall and shoved her head into her hands.
34
AS THE HELICOPTER ARMADA headed north toward the Mole, I waited another fifteen minutes to support Hobart and Van Dreeves when I realized it had been almost twenty minutes since McCool had entered the tunnel just meters away from my position.
I was torn between continuing to provide observation to my two best operators and removing myself from that role to search for McCool. She was more than capable, and I convinced myself to give her a few more minutes before attempting to locate her. As it was, I was scanning in three directions now, intermittently watching the drone video on my IVAS and the container farm and dark cave mouth through my IVAS. The cave mouth was ninety degrees to my right.
“Bogies inbound Mole,” I said on our secure radio network.
“Roger,” Farouk said.
A few minutes later, the sound of gunfire erupted north of the container farm and likely near the Mole. Farouk confirmed this suspicion when he radioed and said, “Taking fire.”
“Roger. Sitrep when possible.”
Zoey had endangered her life to help us find Sanson and had led us to the Chinese operation her father had discovered at the Dakhla Accords signing. Now, she was in jeopardy again, as well as Farouk and Champollion.
The activity at the Mole seemed to energize the infantry at the objective area. With one company displaced in combat against the Polisario near our original hide site north of Chinguetti over fifty miles away to secure the railroad and major road arteries, and the bulk of the force focused externally to the north on the Mole, our window was now. Meanwhile, muffled sounds seeped from the cave mouth like a mattress falling on the floor several times in a row. Thud, thud, thud. But it was difficult to discern whether the sounds truly came from the cave or were echoes from the active combat at the Mole.
