Chapter 51

Over the next several weeks, secret wide ranging negotiations with the Mexican government began. The first area in which they reached agreement was to mutually reduce their forces along the border by two thirds. This agreement enabled the United States to withdraw these forces from border duty and redeploy them in Europe, where they were used to reinforce the troops that were already there. These reinforcements enabled the allies to finally halt Makhtol's progress through Europe, and slowly begin to push back his over extended troops.

The news from the war was not all good, however. Finally after nearly five months of a war of attrition, Kazakhstan fell to Makhtol's marauding military. This meant that Makhtol now controlled some fifteen to twenty nuclear weapons. Allied leaders were afraid that if his technicians figured out the codes, or how to bypass them, that he would use them. They had very valid reasons for this fear.

Allied bombers turned their attention from other areas throughout the European, Asian and African theaters of operations to massive, intensive around the clock bombings of the site of Kazakhstan's nuclear weapons. Although the allies used their most powerful non-nuclear weapons during this bombing campaign, they were unable to penetrate the silos and command bunkers that had been built to withstand a nuclear attack. If only they could stop Makhtol's technicians from bypassing the codes needed to launch the missiles.

People in major cities throughout the Western World began a mass exodus. Many who could afford it went to countries in the southern hemisphere, thinking that those areas would be safer than sites in the north. Others sought refuge in the countryside, causing mass confusion in these areas that were totally unprepared to handle such an influx of people. Business in most areas came to a complete halt as people abandoned their homes and jobs to flee. Shortages of food, fuel and shelter worsened. Chaos and anarchy reigned in many areas as governors in rural states declared martial law in an attempt to gain control over the situation.

President Kathleen Lehrer warned Makhtol that if he used any nuclear weapons at all, that she would order a massive retaliation and that Iran and other areas under his control would be wiped off of the map. Marine One, the President's helicopter and five other helicopters, were stationed at the White House, to be ready at a moment's notice to evacuate the President and her advisers to Andrew's Air Force Base and Air Force One. Air Force One was kept in a constant state of readiness to become a flying command post for the President, her family and her chief advisers. Still Makhtol's technicians continued to try to break or bypass the codes. The situation was extremely grim.

At 7:00 A.M., Tuesday, June 23, 1998, Kathleen Lehrer received the call she had been hoping against hope she would never receive. The hotline from N.O.R.A.D., the North American Air Defense Command, rang with the news that one of their spy satellites stationed over Kazakhstan had picked up the flashes of four missiles being launched. It appeared that Makhtol's technicians had broken the codes for at least several of the nuclear weapons.

President Lehrer had been having her top advisers staying at the White House with a skeleton staff. A week earlier, she had ordered the others to evacuate to the special bunkers that had been built under the West Virginia mountains. She ordered everyone still at the White House to immediately evacuate to the helicopters for the short flight to Andrew's. She then had N.O.R.A.D. issue the warning to the broadcast networks for instantaneous broadcast to the world. As soon as she was on the helicopter, the President picked up the phone that provided her with a direct, secure line to N.O.R.A.D. She was told that the missiles had just entered the stratosphere and were being tracked. Their destinations were not yet clear, but would be in about five minutes.

The helicopters carrying the President and her advisers were flying toward Andrew's at top speed. Within fifteen minutes they were there, and everyone quickly got on board the President's jet. Within five minutes they were airborne. The President was once again on the direct line with N.O.R.A.D. while she had aids make the calls to Moscow, Paris and London. She asked N.O.R.A.D. to reconfirm that a nuclear attack was in fact under way. Two minutes later, she was told that there was indeed a nuclear attack under way and that it appeared that one of the missiles appeared to be heading toward Moscow, two toward western Europe, and one toward the eastern United States.

A very grim, pale, shaking President Kathleen Lehrer thought for about fifteen seconds before she issued the orders that she hoped that no one would ever have to issue.

"Launch our missiles," said President Lehrer as she punched in the codes to launch a nuclear attack. "I told Makhtol what would happen if he launched the nukes. I want them aimed so they will hit throughout Iran, in Kazakhstan in the area where the rest of their nukes are, and at their strongholds in Morocco, Tunisia, Syria and Iraq. I don't want any of his generals thinking that they can continue this war after Makhtol is dead. I want it over!"

"I also want you to make sure you get our people, especially our pilots, out of those areas and as far away from where the nukes will strike as humanly possible," said the President. "Alert all of our ships to prepare for radioactive fallout and possible electromagnetic pulses.

"Yes, Mme. President," answered General Thomas Simpson. "Five seconds later, the commanding general at N.O.R.A.D. came back on the line. The missiles are now being launched."

"How long will it be before they reach their targets?"

"Between twenty five and thirty five minutes, depending on the targets."

"Do you have any further information about where their missiles are headed?"

"One definitely looks as if it's going to Moscow. The two going toward Europe appear to be headed for Paris and Geneva. We're trying to figure out the exact trajectory of the fourth one, the one that's headed for the United States. It still looks as if it's headed for the eastern U.S., but we can't tell yet if it's going toward New York or Washington."

"Let me know as soon as you find out. I'm going to put General Alexander on the line. I want to contact Presidents Alexandrov, Molineaux and Strauss to let them know that their countries are targets, although I'm sure they know."

She reached President Alexandrov, who was in his special bunker outside of Moscow with his top aides. President Lehrer informed Alexandrov that she had just issued orders to launch a nuclear counterattack against Makhtol. Alexandrov told her that his spy satellites had just picked up the missiles being launched. He said that he too was aware that Moscow was a target and had also launched an attack against Iran and Kazakhstan. His missiles would be there in about fifteen minutes. The U.S. President also told the Russian that she had ordered attacks against Makhtol's other strongholds to prevent any of them from continuing the war after Makhtol's death.

After wishing each other luck, President Lehrer hung up that phone and picked up the phone with President Molineaux. She told him that it appeared that Paris was a target of Makhtol's missiles. Molineaux told her that his aides had just informed him of that and that he had also ordered a massive counterattack against Iran. He figured that his missiles would begin hitting their targets within twenty minutes.

President Lehrer then got on the phone with President Strauss of Switzerland and informed him that Geneva was a target and would probably cease to exist in about fifteen minutes. President Strauss was understandably shocked at this news. He asked why Makhtol would choose Geneva. President Lehrer replied that she had no idea, but that Iran would cease to exist within the next fifteen minutes to a half hour. President Strauss then thanked President Lehrer for her call, and hung up the phone.

General Alexander had been talking with his subordinate at N.O.R.A.D., and handed the phone to the President, telling her that it appeared that New York was the target.

General Simpson then told the President that the Colonial anti-missile missiles that had a greater range and were more effective than the old Patriot missiles that had been used in the Persian Gulf War were about to be launched to try to intercept the missile that was approaching New York. General Simpson told her that the Colonial was not designed to intercept nuclear missiles, but it was the only chance they had.

She told him to do what he could and wished him luck. As she explained to General Simpson, all any of them could do was pray. And that she did as they waited for the missiles to begin striking their targets.

Air Force One was flying at about 45,000 feet, heading southwest, away from where the missiles were expected to strike. If at all possible, they wanted to try to avoid the flash, shock waves and the electromagnetic radiation that would result from the nuclear explosion. They had about ten more minutes to wait until the missile was due to hit New York.

The President was slumped in her seat, with the weight of her decision bearing down on her. Steve came over and sat beside her.

"My God, Steve. Do you know what I have just done!? I have just killed about 100 million people!" The President was distraught and in tears. "My God! What have I done?"

"You did what you were forced to do," Steve said, trying to comfort his fiancee. "If Makhtol had not launched his missiles against us, you would not have been forced to do what you did. You told him what you would do if he launched his nuclear weapons. He launched them and now he has to take the consequences of his actions."

"Steve," she said, crying on his shoulder, "I wish it was that easy. I'm in shock right now, but I know the full impact of what I've done will hit me later. I don't know if I will be able to handle it. I really don't. My God, I feel so guilty. What will I do?"

"I don't know. But, I will be with you to help you through it. Somehow we'll get through it. We have to. After all of this is over, we have to figure out how we will rebuild, not only our country but other areas that have been damaged during this dreadful war as well. Somehow, we have to pull through."

"How, Steve?" she wailed. "How do I explain what I have done to the American people and to the rest of the people of the world? I am now the biggest mass murderer in history! I don't know if I can live with that knowledge! I really don't!"

"Kathy," whispered Steve, trying to calm the President, "You made the most difficult decision anyone has ever had to make in history. But, if you had not made that decision, Makhtol would have been able to figure out the codes to the other missiles and would have launched them as well. And tens of millions more people would be dead. He had to be stopped. You have stopped him. In minutes, this terrible war will be over. Makhtol will have been stopped before he could kill any more innocent people. You have done it. You stopped him."

"Why don't I feel better then?"

"Because of the cost in human lives that it took to stop him. The price was extremely high, but unfortunately it had to be paid. If we had not paid the price we did, he would not have been stopped and he would be in position to conquer the world. We could not allow that to happen."

General Alexander, who had been talking with General Simpson, handed the phone to the President.

"Kathleen Lehrer here."

"Mme. President, the missiles are coming into New York now. We have launched the Colonial missiles to try to intercept them. We are now waiting to see if they work."

"How much longer until you know?"

"We'll know within a minute or so. We don't know if the Colonials will work against the hardened warheads of nuclear missiles, or if they will make them detonate higher in the air, spreading radiation over a wider area than they otherwise would. We'll find out in about thirty seconds."

"You said missiles. How many are there?"

"Unfortunately, there are ten of them bearing down on New York. The missile was MIRVed and had ten warheads."

"Oh no!" said an even more depressed President. "That means that it's going to be that much more difficult to stop them."

"Mme. President! We have just picked up several explosions on our radar over New York! I think at least several of the nuclear missiles have been destroyed by the Colonials! Oh no! It looks like three of the missiles have gotten through! Oh, shit! They're exploding! I see that you're over Arkansas now. You should be far enough south to avoid the shock waves from the explosion."

"What is happening?" screamed the President into the phone. Kathleen Lehrer was beginning to snap under the pressure that she had been forced to endure over the last several months.

"I hate to have to tell you this, but I must inform you that New York City has just been destroyed."

"Oh my God! Is there any way of telling yet how far the firestorm will reach?"

"Not yet," answered General Simpson. "We won't know that for a while yet. It's possible that the damage will be fairly concentrated because of the force of the multiple explosions acting against each other, or they could end up enhancing each other. We just don't know."

"Holy Shit!" exclaimed General Simpson.

"What happened?" demanded the President.

"The Russian missiles are beginning to hit throughout Iran and Kazakhstan! My God! Iran and Kazakhstan just completely lit up! You wouldn't believe it! The Russians must have launched a couple hundred missiles at them! They're all hitting at one time!"

"How are you able to see it?" asked the President.

"Through our satellites. I can patch you in if you want."

"Yes. Please do."

One of the President's aides turned on the monitor in the front of the cabin so that everyone could watch what was happening.

They watched the radar screen on the bottom right corner of the screen and saw missiles beginning their approach on Morocco and Tunisia. Two minutes later they watched live satellite pictures of the two countries also lighting up as the missiles exploded. Their attention turned north as they saw that what had been Paris and Geneva were also bright from the heat and light of the nuclear explosions that obliterated the two cities.

Next, they watched as the French nuclear missiles began slamming into Iran, causing that country to become even brighter when seen from the satellite. They also watched the progress of the American missiles as they too began their descent to their targets. About five minutes later, they watched the screen as another series of nuclear explosions tore apart Iran and Kazakhstan. These two countries now ceased to exist.

The President now got back on the phone with General Simpson.

"Do you see any sign of any more missiles?"

He checked all of his radar screens and computer reports. "No. That looks like that is it. I think they have all hit. But, if I were you, I would stay airborne for at least a couple more hours until we are certain that we've gotten them all. It will take us at least that long to wait for the smoke to clear for us to make sure that we have taken out the remaining missiles. We want to make sure that none of the other missiles in Kazakhstan survived to be fired. Once our satellites can penetrate the smoke and fire, we should be able to make the determination either way. So until then, I think you should remain airborne."

"I agree with you," replied the President. "What chance do you think there is that any of their missiles survived?"

"I don't think any of them did, but I want to be sure."

"Very well. Keep me informed. Also let me know as soon as you know how widespread the damage done to New York is and how far the radiation may have spread."

"I can tell you right now that there is no more New York City. Manhattan was ground zero. How far the damage went beyond that, I can't tell you. But, I wouldn't count on going back to Washington for a while until we determine which direction the radiation will go. If I were you, I would go someplace in the west or the southwest."

"Thank you. I will take that under advisement."

The President then informed her staff of General Simpson's recommendation. The steward on the plane then went to the cockpit to inform the pilot that they would be remaining airborne for a while yet. The pilot then radioed to Carswell Air Force Base to arrange inflight refueling of Air Force One.

The President then turned to Steve. "Do you think your Father would mind if we temporarily moved the White House to his ranch until we can determine what is happening with the radiation?"