“But how do we find her?” Susan asked, wrinkling her forehead.
“Actually, she should already be here. Morgan said she’d probably be sitting in the war room along the back wall,” Elise said, glancing at the live broadcast on the video screen.
Susan cast her eyes along the wall, searching the back for a young woman in uniform, but couldn’t spot her.
She must be off camera.
Just then, Admiral Waller leaned forward in his chair and cleared his throat. “Ma’am, we can’t just turn off ARC in the middle of a nuclear crisis,” he said, his deep voice cutting through the din. “If we do, we’ll lose our command and control and won’t be able to launch our nuclear weapons. You see, everything is currently linked to the ARC system. If we take ARC offline and shut it down, we won’t be able to retaliate at all. Then we’ll open ourselves up to a first-strike attack. Ma’am, I’ve told U.S. Strategic Command to stand down until we have more time to discuss our options.” He jutted out his chin. “We simply can’t afford to implement your order.”
I could fire them both for this.
A loud crackle followed by a familiar voice resonated from the telephone speaker on the table. “Madam President, this is Isaiah. I’m on Air Force One as we speak,” Burke said. “I just overheard the admiral’s intervention, and I couldn’t agree more. With China’s lurking near the coast of Canada, we must prepare for the potential risk of nuclear war. The ARC system needs to remain online.”
Oh, so now the submarines do pose a risk.
Susan grimaced at the pervasive insubordination of her senior advisors, her vision clouding and ears pounding. She clenched and unclenched her hands as she tried to get a hold of her temper.
She’d expected this kind of response from General Burke, but not from the admiral or her other military commanders. In the back of her mind, she wondered if President Monroe would have ever experienced such open defiance in response to a clear order. She pushed such thoughts away for the moment.
She got up out of her chair, inhaling a long breath. “If we want to prevent the worst from happening, we have to stop thinking like this.” Susan began pacing the room back and forth, everyone’s eyes following her every move. “We’ve been stuck in this rigid frame of mind all day.” She stopped at the head of the table to face them and held out her hands. “I need you all to think long and hard about the consequences of holding steadfastly to your biases.” She glared at each of the solemn faces around the table.
She raised her hands in the air. “For example, why do we assume China would want a nuclear war? Because they can catch us with our pants down? Because they can inflict more damage on us if they act first? Because our nuclear deterrence strategy has failed to deter them? Tell me in real terms. What could possibly be worth fighting a nuclear war, from China’s perspective? Or from any country’s perspective for that matter? If someone can tell me one good reason to fight a nuclear war and bring wanton destruction upon innocent people, then I’ll reconsider my decision to shut down the ARC system.”
An unsettled silence descended upon the room. Her advisors fidgeted with their hands, stared down at the table, and shuffled their feet.
“No one can offer a good reason why China would want to take us into a nuclear war?” Susan asked, still walking about the room.
“Ma’am, we can speculate endlessly about China’s intentions,” Burke said over the speakerphone, “but at the end of the day, we have to proceed on the basis of their aggressive actions to ensure deterrence holds. And we have no more powerful tool at our disposal to analyze all the available data than the ARC system. But I know you have a special relationship with the Chinese and feel close to them. And so, I urge you to also consider your own biases, Madam President.”
Audible gasps of dismay rippled around the room at his suggestion. Several mouths remained open for a few moments. Unlike Susan, they were apparently shocked by Burke’s latest testing of his boundaries with her authority.
But she was ready for him this time, thanks to Morgan. Deep down, Susan wondered if the SecDef knew the truth about the ARC system from his good friend and was in on it. Her new suspicions made her wish she could look the general directly in the eyes when she said, “And what about your special relationship with the CEO of Centoreum Tech? What about your cozy weekends at his family home on the Chesapeake Bay? Are those things clouding your analysis about the functioning of the ARC system?” Out of the corner of her eye, Susan thought she caught a flinch from Admiral Waller.
“Of course not,” Burke said, his voice notably gruffer than before. But he appeared unable or unwilling to refute her points.
Susan walked to the other side of the room and gazed steadily at the speakerphone as if it were Burke. “Would it surprise you to learn that your good buddy has been cheating on the ARC tests this whole time, to fool you into blindly trusting the system?” She paused to wait for his response, but there was dead silence on the phone.
Before she could challenge him further, the ARC dashboard began beeping loudly, causing everyone to direct their gazes toward the center of the room. Susan froze in place and gaped at the hologram. Three new white-colored missile indicators appeared on the map over Siberia.
“What’s happening?” Susan asked. Her eyes opened wide and her hand flew to her chest.
“Ma’am, it appears that the ARC system has detected the launch of three unidentified objects from a base inside Siberia,” the NORAD commander said.
“But how?” Susan asked, her posture stiffening. She returned to her seat at the head of the table with her fists clenched. “I thought we didn’t have satellite coverage?”
“ARC just received radar data from a nearby U.S. icebreaker ship in the Arctic, confirming the launches coming out of Russia, ma’am,” the NORAD commander said. “But ARC can’t reliably identify them since we lack other sensor data, and the icebreaker’s radar is not designed to provide that information.”
“What do we know about this Siberian missile base, then?” Susan asked, looking at Grayson, who was busy typing on his computer.
He nodded, still staring at his screen, raised his finger, and said, “It’s owned by a private space tech company called Green Dragon Pioneers. We started noticing some construction activity around the area about two years ago. We’ve been tracking it as part of the CIA’s regular collection on space activities. Our satellite imagery from the last few days shows the existence of three launch pads. They seem to have come out of nowhere, which leads us to believe they were constructed underground. They must have recently moved to the surface in preparation, presumably for today’s launch. My staff informed me about it about an hour ago.”
“What are the space pads for?” Susan asked.
“Ma’am, they’re most likely space rockets for launching microsatellites into low earth orbit,” David said.
“From a secret base in the middle of Siberia?” Elizabeth asked, narrowing his eyes. “And without announcing the launches in advance?” She shook her head. “All private companies in the space launch industry know better than that. No one wants to inadvertently cause nuclear war as a result of a false alarm.”
“And why would a private company need three separate launchers to send a bunch of microsatellites into space?” Susan asked, her eyebrows raised. “That’s a ton of tiny satellites.”
“Ma’am, that’s a good question,” David said, rubbing his chin. “I read an intelligence report last month that suggested Russia plans to contest our supremacy in space. Maybe Russia has contracted with the private company to install its own space sensor layer to detect hypersonic missiles,” he said, pressing his lips into a fine line. “That could also explain the secrecy about the launch. Maybe the Russian government plans to beat us in rebuilding—”
Before David could finish his sentence, a third red light on ARC’s dashboard began to blink ominously, and everyone stared at it, dumbfounded for a moment.
Susan jabbed a shaky finger at it. “What does t
hat light mean again?”
“Ma’am, the third blinking light means ARC has produced several nuclear options matching its threat assessment. It will soon select one and initiate launch procedures for a retaliatory attack,” the STRATCOM commander said.
“But we don’t know yet if we’re under attack,” Susan said, her voice raspy. “How could ARC know this if it can’t get access to sensor data from our satellites? Can we stop it?”
“Ma’am, the command and control component of the ARC system is fully automated except for the rescind order. We can’t stop it until after a launch order is given,” the STRATCOM commander said.
Susan held up her hand. “You’re saying that this system has the ability to launch our entire nuclear arsenal, and we have no way to stop it from doing so, prior to me issuing the rescind order? Surely, there’s some sort of kill switch to prevent the accidental annihilation of millions of people in case I’m unable to do so?”
“No, ma’am. That would defeat the purpose of the ARC system.”
Defeat the purpose?
Susan’s eyes popped.
“Ma’am, the system is designed to operate in extremely tight time windows for nuclear retaliation,” the STRATCOM commander said. “Any hesitation would not only reduce the credibility of our deterrent, it might also invite a first-strike attack by our adversaries.”
Susan shook her head in utter disbelief and spoke her thoughts out loud. “In other words, you’re telling me we’ve justified this calamity based on the sole assumption that the leaders of every nuclear-armed country secretly hunger for the desolation of a nuclear winter.”
An awkward silence hung in the air as the harsh reality of their situation settled into the minds of her advisors. They weren’t playing games anymore. This was not a simulation. The ARC system was about to launch a nuclear attack, and all they could do was sit in their chairs in the Situation Room and watch the horror unfold—at least until Susan could issue the rescind order.
“How long do we have until ARC transmits the nuclear launch order?” Elizabeth said, her face now white as a sheet.
There were many other pale faces around the table, and no one wanted to offer an answer.
“Ma’am, we’ve never come this far in a crisis with ARC before, not even in the monthly tests. We’re not entirely sure what happens next,” the STRATCOM commander said. “But for some reason, ARC has detected the threat of a nuclear attack and is responding accordingly.”
“You’re telling me we don’t know when the countdown clock starts for the launch of our nuclear weapons?” Susan’s eyes bulged. “Surely, that’s written down in a software manual somewhere. Anyone care to look it up?”
Admiral Waller cleared his throat. “Ma’am, the ARC system will give the launch order upon detecting a nuclear attack. The dashboard will indicate this by displaying the detected missiles in red instead of white. The only way to potentially change ARC’s planned course of action now might be to increase the alert status to DEFCON 3 as was recommended this morning. The ARC system will then receive a new data infusion from its ISR component and be able to provide better situational awareness. Perhaps it will learn that no attack is underway after all and stand down.”
“And what if ARC misreads the new data, overreacts, and continues down its path toward nuclear escalation?” Susan asked.
“Ma’am, that’s definitely a risk we need to consider,” Admiral Waller said. “However, I’d point out that at DEFCON 4 our command and control system remains quite vulnerable to a first-strike attack. If ARC perceives a threat to its ability to retaliate, moving to DEFCON 3 should ease the situation. Once the ARC system registers enhanced deterrence against a first-strike attack, we might be able to persuade it to shift back into a defensive mode.”
Susan mulled over her options for a moment. And then she realized she had none—that is, if she wanted any shot at reversing ARC’s escalation.
“Fine. Proceed to DEFCON 3,” Susan said, sighing heavily.
“Copy that, ma’am,” the STRATCOM commander said. “We’re raising the alert to DEFCON 3 now. We should see the effects of the data infusion into ARC within a few seconds. Also, our command and control units will begin dispersing immediately. More radars will be transferred to the early warning mission. Although the data infusion will be nearly instantaneous, full combat readiness under DEFCON 3 will take a few hours to fully activate.”
Susan stared at ARC’s dashboard in a daze, trying not to blink for fear she’d miss any change in its status. Her eyes darted back and forth between the red blinking lights and the white missile indicators. But nothing happened for what felt like an eternity.
Then, in an instant, the ARC dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree with two more white missile indicators appearing on the map in the Northwest Passage.
Now there were a total of three sets of indicators for missiles on ARC’s dashboard. The new pair of missile indicators, presumably from the submarine flotilla as part of China’s war game. The earlier ones in the South China Sea that were unresolved but must have reached their end destination. And the three missile indicators over Siberia they assumed were heading into space.
Oh, thank God. They’re all white.
Susan exhaled sharply and rubbed her forehead. Her eyes darted to the red blinking lights on the launch panel.
But will ARC stand down?
A loud beeping sound emanated from the ARC computer, startling everyone. A second later, three missile indicators over Russia blinked several times and then turned red. Susan gulped as the fourth red light on the launch panel started blinking.
“What’s happening?” Susan asked.
Admiral Waller blanched.
Another loud beeping sound alerted. Then the missile indicators over the South China Sea and the Northwest Passage flickered a few times. Then they turned from white to red as well.
Susan’s jaw dropped, and her heart sank.
A ticker announced ARC’s launch order in some text at the bottom of the dashboard, but Susan’s eyes were too blurry to read it.
Then an airy, computerized female voice announced:
ARC has transmitted the launch order for an all-out nuclear war against Russia and China
The first strike will take out their command and control systems and limit damage from any follow-on strike against the United States
A nuclear attack will begin in T-minus ten minutes
The rescind order must be initiated in eight minutes and fifty-three seconds to cancel the launch
A countdown clock appeared on the dashboard and began ticking down, second by second. Each second felt like a sickening thud in Susan’s head.
She closed her eyes for a moment. Her mind drifted to her last minutes with Lucy and Blake, and her stomach knotted. The memories already seemed distant and hazy in her mind. An empty dullness filled her chest.
50
Rescind Order
SUSAN
1700
Situation Room
The White House
Susan’s eyes fluttered open less than a second later, sensing the ticking clock. It now read seven minutes and forty seconds. Adrenaline began coursing through her body, sending a gush of energy to her limbs. Straightening her posture, she searched the faces of her team of advisors and military commanders, expecting their input. But they all sat in stunned silence as if they were frozen in time, locked in a hypnotic trance.
“What’s the procedure for giving the rescind order?” Her voice wavered while her eyes remained stubbornly glued to the dashboard. Her hands trembled as minutes and seconds seem to slip through her fingers like grains of sand.
More silence.
“Anyone?”
When no answer came, she looked down the table at Admiral Waller and threw her hands up in the air.
“Um, sorry,” he said, clearing his throat. “Ma’am, you need to enter your 24-digit rescind order code from your nuclear code card into the keypad in front of you. That will cancel t
he launch order.”
Elise rushed over to her and placed a small black case on the table in front of her. Susan pressed her finger on the scanner to allow for biometric authentication. The case lock released with a hiss and a click. She opened it and pulled out the nuclear code card and saw the 24-digit rescind order code. Without hesitation, she reached for the keypad and placed her finger over the first number.
“Um, ma’am, shouldn’t we discuss the situation before you give the rescind order?” The STRATCOM commander asked, looking visibly flustered on the screen.
Susan gave him an incredulous look. “What more is there to discuss?”
“Ma’am, sorry. The ARC system has detected a nuclear attack from Russia and China. Shouldn’t we confirm that this is a false alarm before we rescind the order?” he asked. “If we don’t launch our weapons right away, we will lose our land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles when we absorb the first hit.”
“Do you honestly think the Russians and the Chinese have just started a nuclear war with us?” Susan asked.
“Ma’am?”
“I’m asking a serious question.”
“Ma’am, the ARC system—”
“I’m not asking you what the ARC system thinks. I don’t fucking care what it thinks. I want to know, given your vast military expertise leading the U.S. Strategic Forces Command, whether you think it likely that Russia and China have launched a nuclear attack.”
“Ma’am, it doesn’t seem to make sense, but—”
“Have any missiles shown up on our radar yet?” Susan directed her steely gaze at the NORAD commander for a moment before returning to the countdown clock. It read six minutes and ten seconds.
“Not yet, ma’am. Our radars detect ballistic missile launches as soon as they’re above the horizon,” the NORAD commander said. “The phased-array antenna allows us to track missiles from multiple directions at the same time.”
Rescind Order Page 33
