>>6311506When you pull into the carpark, you see that there are too many cars here for this hour of the morning. They must have pulled in everyone. You’re escorted into the building, waved through security like it’s not even there. They even wave through your team, something you’ve never seen them do before. After being lead down several corridors and one long elevator, you reach a set of thick metal doors with armed sentries posted outside them. Your Secretary of Defense, Frank F. Dunnegan, and Director of Central Inteligence, James Black, are waiting for you. Frank comes over and shakes your hand as soon as he sees you.
“Mr. President. The War Room is ready.”
Black merely nods at you from behind a wall of cigarette smoke. You take a deep breath, and step through the doors.
There is a gigantic screen on the wall that shows you a map of Russia. Next to it are other readouts, some of your own forces, others of Russia’s. And there are several thin red lines leading from the skies over Canada that are slowly lengthening as they head towards Russia. You sit down at the table, and your cabinet members that are here, Albert, Shultz, Burrows, Kate, Frank, and Black, sit down with you. Lying in front of you is a red telephone. You look expectantly at Frank.
“Mr. President, I’ve been fully appraised of the situation. Our bombers are heading, without apparent orders, into Russia. They are not responding to communications, and SAC is unresponsive as well. I have spoken to Vice President Jackson, and he has arrived safely at the Raven Rock complex. We now have <span class="mu-b">10 hours</span> before those bombers arrive in Russia. Frankly, Mr. President, we do not have a lot of options here.”
>I understand. Give me what you’ve got. He begins. “Canada has offered to put their fighter squadrons in the air. Their orders would be to shoot down our rogue planes. At this stage our bombers may be too far for them to reach. The fighters will run out of fuel over the Arctic. If you order them up, those men would not return.”
Albert leans over to you. “Mr. President, from now on, <span class="mu-i">there are no easy choices.</span> You must do what is necessary, no matter the cost.”
There are some nods of approval, while others are conspicuously silent. Frank continues.
“There is also the matter of the DEFCON level. I know you’ve decided not to raise it, but sir, I would recommend you do so immediately, in the strongest possible terms. The longer you delay, the more vulnerable we are to a Soviet attack.”
At this, Black lays down his cigarette. “If they attack.”
