by James Rosone
“Hammer, Anvil. Send it,” Jank barked as his adrenaline spike reached its peak.
“Anvil, let’s give these boys a sleepy treat.”
Hammer was referring to a tool the SEALs had developed for ship and oil rig takedowns. Normally they used the knockout gas when they wanted to covertly capture a group of hostiles without them knowing they were around. Now that the remaining Chinese and Cuban soldiers knew they had visitors on the platform, it would get ugly.
“Hammer, Anvil. Do it!”
Jank motioned for the men to don their gas masks and sent a quick message to let the remaining SEALs know what was about to happen. As they got their masks on, they heard the clattering of boots coming down the corridor heading toward them. Chief Cummins ordered them to get down. No sooner had the last SEAL gone prone than a group of Chinese soldiers rounded the corner, rifles up and at the ready as they surveyed the scene of their dead comrades. In the few seconds it took them to recognize what had happened, the remaining SEALs opened fire. The four enemy soldiers were cut to pieces, adding to the carnage.
More footsteps could be heard as reinforcements came to aid their fallen comrades.
Hurry up, Hammer, Jank thought.
*******
Lieutenant Chris “Hammer” Iverson watched as one of his SEALs fitted the canisters of gas the teams had nicknamed sleepy treats to the HVAC system. The SEAL gave Hammer the thumbs-up, and they cranked the knob all the way open and turned the climate control to full blast.
“Anvil, Hammer. Gas has been released. Give it a few minutes and you should be able to make your way topside. I’ve electronically sealed all the hatches I could from the control room. I advise you to move to the southwest exit from your current position. CCTV shows you are clear all the way back to our location.”
“Hammer, Anvil. Copy. Moving to you in ten mikes,” Jank replied.
The rest of the SEALs gave it a bit of time to make sure everyone was out. The platoons then broke down into their squad formations and began clearing each and every room on the platform. As they found a cluster of Chinese or Cuban soldiers passed out, they disarmed them and zip-tied their hands. They annotated where the soldiers were located on an electronic map each squad leader had on a tablet. When their Marine reinforcements arrived, they’d go back and round them up.
Now that they had secured the platform, a group of Marines would be flying in from MacDill Air Force Base out of Tampa to relieve them and collect the prisoners and their wounded.
Standing outside near the helipad, Jank and Hammer looked off toward Cuba. They couldn’t quite make out land; they were a bit too far away. But that wasn’t what they were looking for. It was still dark out, but soon, a new set of lights would illuminate the darkness.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cruise missile being fired from sea before,” Hammer commented.
Jank snorted. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I have, either. Should be interesting. I just hope they bring the pain and score some good hits.”
In the distance, four or five kilometers away, a flash erupted near the edge of the water. Then they heard the bang as the engine on the cruise missile ignited and it took to the air. This process was repeated thirteen more times as the Navy’s only diesel-electric covert littoral submersible unleashed some of the first salvos of America’s counterpunch in this new war.
*******
Forty-five minutes after the cruise missile attack, a few MV-22 Ospreys appeared on the horizon. The Marines coming in from MacDill finally arrived. As the first Osprey set down on the rig’s helipad, the Marines ran off, making room for the five wounded SEALs to be loaded.
The Osprey carrying the wounded raced off in the direction of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. They would drop the wounded at Tampa General Hospital, one of the few Level III trauma centers in the state of Florida. When the second Osprey landed, the SEALs rushed the eight bodies of their fallen comrades on board. This Osprey headed directly to MacDill, where the bodies would be taken over to mortuary affairs.
As the rest of the Marines arrived, they were detailed off to go collect the prisoners and establish a security overwatch on the platform. The prisoners would be brought to the helipad, where they’d wait until a group of three CH-53E Super Stallions arrived to take them to an Army detention facility being set up at Avon Park in central Florida, just south of Orlando.
The fight for HS9 was over, but the fight to remove the ChiComs from Latin America had just begun.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Dragon Fire
Joint Battle Command Centre
20 Kilometers Northwest of Beijing, China
Admiral Wei Huang’s stomach sank as the immediate reports came in from Task Force 742. We lost a carrier in the opening hours of the war, Wei thought as the others in the JBCC took in the information.
“General Gao, I guess we have the American response to your cyber army. Damn good job in turning the lights off on those facilities,” exclaimed General Li Zuocheng. General Li turned in his chair to look at Admiral Wei. “Your raiders are launching their attacks now, right?”
All eyes turned to look at the man in charge of the next phase of the assault on the West.
Wei looked down at his watch before returning his gaze to the head of the PLA. “Yes. Our raiders should begin launching their cruise missile attacks all along the East, West, and Gulf Coasts of the US. They should also be hitting the European ports and strategic military bases at the same time. Over the next three hours, the naval and air forces of the West will come under the largest single attack since World War II.”
President Yao Jintao added, “General Li, General Gao, and Admiral Wei have done their parts in this war. It’ll now be on the shoulders of the Army to secure us the final victory. The allies will be off-balance for some time after this attack. Your forces need to use that time to accomplish their missions and then prepare to hold the territory we’re capturing.”
The head of the PLA only nodded in reply; nothing else needed to be said. They all knew a lot was riding on how well his forces performed over the next couple of weeks. Nearly two decades of modernization and training—now it was time to put it all on the line and prove it hadn’t been all for naught.
General Li looked at Dr. Xi next. “Are there any changes to the models your AI has predicted? Are they still holding?”
Everyone was least confident about this part of the plan. Could Project Ten really be the deciding factor in winning a war? Handing over the strategy of fighting a war to an advanced super-AI seemed incredibly risky.
“As of right now, General, the models are still holding. We’re factoring in the impact to the overall strategy of the loss of the Liaoning. We also lost a troop transport ship, a destroyer, and a frigate in the engagement. Fortunately, the bulk of the task force is still intact, and the Shandong didn’t suffer any damage.
“In thirty minutes, the next wave of deepfake attacks will start in Europe and then spread to America. As the Europeans go to work, they will be inundated with news about NATO launching a preemptive attack against the people of China, that we only responded in retaliation to an unprovoked attack,” Dr. Xi explained confidently. The man was excited. His super-AI was being unleashed on the world, as he had envisioned so many decades ago when he’d dreamt up this program.
“Admiral Wei, I believe it is time for you to launch your next phase of the operation,” President Yao said confidently.
Admiral Wei didn’t say anything right away. He glanced at the President with a look that asked if this was really necessary before he finally moved over to one of the computer terminals. He brought up a secured text box, typed in a single code word and hit Send.
“It’s done. We should start to hear about it on the news shortly,” Wei replied glumly.
“Cheer up, Wei. This is all part of the plan. It will work, don’t you worry. Their losses will not be in vain,” the President said somberly as he placed a hand on the old man’s shoul
der.
The group turned their attention to some of the TV monitors they had set up along one of the walls. They had a number of different stations on in hopes that the combination would provide them a variety of reporting on what would soon be happening.
While they waited for the next phase of attacks to begin, a steward brought them some fresh tea and something to eat. They would most likely be in this briefing room in the command center for the next twenty-four hours. The massive control center outside was a beehive of activity. The entire war was being run from this single command center, and just a kilometer away, in another cavernous room unknown to most people, was the most powerful quantum computer and super-AI ever built—the true superweapon of this new war and the tool that would lead them to victory.
“Ah, here comes the first report,” a staff officer announced.
From Taiwan Today, Taipei: “We interrupt our normal broadcast to bring you a report of a ballistic missile attack currently underway. People in Nanbin Park, near the coastal city of Hualien County, are reporting more than a dozen missiles launching out of the ocean. The missiles are heading directly over Taiwan toward the mainland.
“Government sources have put out an immediate statement saying they did not carry out this launch, nor are they in the process of initiating military operations against the PRC. The president of Taiwan just reiterated the government’s stance of remaining neutral in the growing conflict between the PRC and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. We will bring you more breaking news as we receive it.”
“General Zulong,” the President ordered, “do your best to shoot down as many of these missiles as you can. I know some will get through, but it helps our cause if your force is actually able to hit some of them.”
Seeing the missile contrails rising into the sky as they headed over Taiwan toward their intended targets was like being punched in the gut. This was the part of the strategy the AI had come up with that would solidify the people’s support for their cause. Still, it was tough to take in.
The general nodded. He was already on the phone with some of the regional commanders who would be responsible for engaging those missiles as they entered their terminal arc.
General Gao Weiping walked over to Dr. Xi. “Once your team has the video images of the missiles and the damage they will inflict, how long will it take your team to get them ready to be used in the next wave of deepfakes?”
General Goa was the commander of the newest branch of the People’s Liberation Army, the Strategic Support Force. It was his department that was in charge of China’s cyber army, satellite infrastructure, and Dr. Xi Zemin’s Project Ten.
“Not long, General,” Xi explained quietly. “I’m glad the sub commanders were able to find some cargo ships to hide behind when they launched. Those ships will give us the silhouette of the image we’ll need to turn these into NATO and Taiwanese warships.” The two of them had been talking a lot more in the lead-up to today—the day of the first-ever world war launched by an AI.
“Here comes the next report,” a different staff officer said as he turned up the volume on a TV tuned in to La Repubblica out of Rome.
“We are receiving reports out of Calabria of explosions occurring on a Chinese Panamax freighter twenty miles from the port of Gioia Tauro. We do not yet know the cause of the explosions or if any crewmen have been hurt. The local authorities have been alerted and a rescue operation is currently underway. We will bring you more news of this developing story as more information is made available.”
“The missiles are being intercepted,” one of General Zulong’s officers commented.
Everyone turned their attention to a radar display of the interceptors being launched at the ballistic and cruise missiles being fired at China. A TV reporter happened to be reporting live from a position that had an incredible view. The cameraman was getting some good shots of the interceptors connecting with some of the inbound missiles.
“Splash one! Our interceptor hit the first missile.”
Some cheering broke out as the officers got excited about the hit. Then a second missile was intercepted. More cheers. A couple of people gave some smiles and nods to General Zulong and his people’s ability to knock the missiles out of the sky.
Then they saw one of the interceptors miss a missile. Then a second interceptor missed. With those two shots gone, the ground crews were launching the next set of shorter-range interceptors, hoping the second line of defense would hold up.
The group watched as twelve of the missiles decreased to seven. Then the second line of interceptors dropped that number down to five. At this point, the missiles were in their terminal velocity phase and were traveling at speeds in excess of Mach 10. It was nearly impossible to hit a target moving that fast, so scoring even two hits was a big deal.
The remaining five missiles impacted along the Chinese coastal cities opposite Taiwan. The city of Quanzhou was hit by three while the remaining two hit the city of Xiamen. While it appeared like the missiles targeted legitimate military targets in the area, they assumed the Taiwanese missiles would be less accurate, so they had the missiles veer slightly off course.
The impact of these missiles with their five-thousand-pound warheads was immense. Enormous orange fireballs and black smoke erupted around the impact zones. Windows were blown out of offices, homes, and vehicles as far away as a mile in all directions from the concussion of the blast. The ground shook so hard that it felt like a mini earthquake.
A few days prior to the start of this operation, several trucks packed with additional explosives and petrol had been parked in the vicinity of where these missiles would be landing. The war planners wanted to make sure they had rigged the area with enough explosive materials to make the damage from the missiles more severe than it otherwise might have been.
*******
Admiral Wei turned away from the others and walked over to get himself a refill of tea. As he poured some into his cup, he paused just long enough to wipe a tear away before it could run down his face. He took a deep breath in and held it. Next, he raised his cup to his mouth and took a couple of sips of the hot liquid as he fought to regain control of his emotions.
“Come on, Admiral. Pull it together. If the President sees you like this, he’ll replace you. We need you now more than ever,” General Li said softly so no one else could hear them.
Wei nodded but didn’t say anything. The two of them walked over to the far side of the briefing table, away from the others.
“Li, this can’t be right what we are doing. There are certain rules in warfare. This AI machine is fighting this war with no rules. No regard for human life. It only sees things as ones and zeros on a computer screen. This AI will spiral out of control if we do not do something,” Wei explained softly.
Before Li could reply, Dr. Xi pulled a chair out near them and took a seat.
“This is an exciting moment, isn’t it?” he offered.
“What exactly do you find exciting?” Wei countered. “We just witnessed the deaths of probably ten thousand of our own civilians. More than two thousand sailors, men under my command, died in the last few hours. What part of that are you finding exciting, Dr. Xi?”
“I…I didn’t mean to minimize the loss of life. I was commenting on how everything has been so meticulously planned and it is now coming to fruition. All these moving parts, these pieces to the grand puzzle are all falling into place just like Jade Dragon predicted,” Xi tried to explain. “To think all of this has been planned and engineered by a computer, Generals. Imagine if we had more drones and even robots. We could have the computer fight the entire war for us.”
The two military soldiers looked at Xi with a bit of concern but held their tongues. They knew that was the direction warfare was headed. In a way, they were thankful for their ages. They likely wouldn’t be around to have to fight that kind of war. Right now, their main goal was winning a war neither of them had wanted.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Angels in the Sky
Air Force One
Somewhere over the Midwest
The giant Boeing 747 had finally leveled out when the National Security Advisor, Blain Wilson, felt comfortable enough to get up and finally use the washroom. People were talking and arguing all around him, yet the only thought that was running through his mind was his urgent bodily need to relieve himself. His wife and kids had already left D.C. a week ago. He felt they were safe, so his mind wasn’t racing to them like it was for so many others.
When Wilson entered the large washroom outside of the briefing room, he felt better. He stood in front of the mirror and looked at himself. His eyes appeared tired, his hair was a mess, and he felt sweaty. Turning the faucet on, he splashed some water on his face.
The next sixty minutes will change the course of human history…please, Lord, give me guidance on what to do next, Wilson pleaded.
As he walked back into the briefing room, the President’s voice boomed, “There you are, Blain. We need to be prepared to respond to these missiles. If they’re nuclear, or civilian casualties are high when they hit, this will be devastating.”
Admiral Roy Thiel, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, had fortunately made it on board Air Force One with them. Those first few minutes when the Chinese attack had gotten underway had been tense. Once the Secret Service had learned there were cruise missiles inbound to a series of military bases along the Gulf, they had made the decision to get the President airborne. It was the wee hours of the morning, so rounding up everyone that needed to get on the plane with the President had taken a herculean effort.
The Secret Service had gotten the President on Air Force One while the Vice President was sequestered in the Presidential Emergency Operation Center or PEOC bunker. While that had all taken place, the Secret Service and Capitol Police had roused the leaders of the Senate and the House out of their beds, rushing them to nearby bunkers for their own protection.
