The End (13 page)

“Ninety percent! I don't understand; why so many?” Conner asked, exasperated.

“Mr. President, in the first month with no power and with a lack of a constant flow of adequate food, water, and medical supplies, all of those Americans who are hospitalized or have any sort of special needs will most likely perish. Starvation starts to take its toll around month two and mass starvation will start to hit by month six. This doesn't take into account the civil unrest that will kill tens of thousands.”

“What can we do? We must do something.”

“Mr. President, there isn't much we can do for the average American. The best thing we can do is reestablish the continuity of government, and, from there, we can start to get the infrastructure back in place. I recommend we find a vice president for you as well as a cabinet. We can then set up teams to go to the state capitals and make liaison with governors. With the U.S. capital destroyed, we will need to find a new seat of government for us. I recommend a military base that is secure with an underground bunker.”

Conner just sat back in his chair. He folded his arms and concentrated on this overwhelming flow of difficult information. He leaned forward and asked again, “General, do we know who did this? If so, what are your recommendations for a response?”

“Mr. President, we do not know exactly who is responsible for these attacks. We obviously have suspects, but no one has stepped forward to accept responsibility, nor do we have access to any intel that lets us know.”

“Okay, based upon whatever intel we do have, how are our allies doing?

“Sir, it appears that similar attacks were conducted against Europe, the Pacific Rim, and an attack was stopped in Australia.”

“How did the Aussies stop their attack?”

“We do not know, we have received intel from them that they were able to seize a ship that had a nuclear weapon aboard it. We are working with them to see what intel we can gather from their interrogations of those captured.”

“How did the Aussies manage to stop the attack and not us?” Conner was getting a bit indignant.

“All we can assume, sir, is that our resources were stretched thin with all the recent attacks—”

“That's it! The other attacks were just to bog us down so they could orchestrate this attack.”

“Yes sir, that sounds like exactly what happened,” Griswald answered back.

 • • • 

Griswald continued his briefing for another half an hour. The more information he presented, the more helpless Conner felt. He had become the most powerful man in the world but without the power.

“Sir, what would you like us to do?” Griswald asked.

“I need to process everything. I need you to get me a list of possible suspects and I want to speak with the prime minister of Australia as soon as possible. I want you to get all of our military assets back into the United States as soon as possible. I want some of them on the East Coast to assist with recovery efforts.” Conner paused, thought for a minute, then looked back at Griswald. “Once my wife is on board, let's depart.”

“Sir, where do you want to go?”

“Florida.”

“Florida, sir?” Griswald asked, confused.

“Yes, Florida,” Conner said standing up.

“Why Florida?” Griswald asked with a puzzled tone.

“You said I need a VP, didn't you?”

Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete. If you're alive, it isn't.

—
Richard Bach

Musa Qala, Helmand Province, Afghanistan

“Get your asses on that bird, boys, go, go!” Gunny yelled at his Marines.

The CH-53 was waiting, ramp down and props moving. Sebastian stood in his designated stick, weighted down by his gear and his thoughts. As they boarded, the crew chief pointed for them to go directly to the front of the helicopter.

All the Marines in his squad sat down one after another without much thought; this was a normal drill for them. Sebastian turned and peered through the small window behind him. He saw one helicopter after another spread out along the flat plain with lines of Marines slowly boarding. He looked past the choppers to the mountains; he thought that he'd probably never see this place again. How strange, he thought, that the U.S. spent so much blood and treasure to help create a new democracy while theirs at home was now in peril. Looking back now it seemed like such a waste. He turned his head back around and looked at his fellow Marines all sitting on the webbing. After Gunny boarded the crew chief lifted the ramp and readied the chopper for liftoff. Like he always did, Sebastian said a ritualistic prayer. As he finished his prayer, he felt the chopper start to lift. There is nothing like flying in a chopper; the combination of the sound and smell was unique. He quickly turned around again and looked through the glass. The glare of the sun first blinded him, then, as the chopper banked, the mountains came into view again. He wanted one last look at his home away from home. Facing forward, he settled in for what he knew would be a long ride by tipping his helmet to cover his eyes and going to sleep.

Sebastian's slumber was interrupted by Tomlinson tapping his arm.

“Hey corporal, we're getting close!” Tomlinson yelled.

Sebastian sat up and looked over his shoulder out the window. All he saw was blue sky and blue water below. Then the ships came into view when the chopper banked to the right.

There below him was the
Makin Island
Amphibious Ready Group. On board was the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, who has been at sea for months now in the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. His unit would be sharing quarters and the ship's amenities with a bunch of grunts from 1st Battalion 1st Marine Regiment, a sister unit from Camp Pendleton.

 • • • 

“Let's go, Marines, move!” Gunny hollered. Sebastian and his team of Marines stood up and walked off the chopper. They proceeded down the ship's tarmac toward the aft of the ship. The cool ocean air felt good and helped to mask the strong smell of fuel. Sebastian also could smell the saltiness of the ocean. He loved ship life, and especially loved the port calls; unfortunately there would not be liberty anytime soon. The days of pulling into foreign ports and enjoying the local flavor were over.

Not long passed before they were led off the flight deck and into a passageway. After maneuvering through tight narrow hatches and down steep stairwells loaded with their gear, they finally reached their new home. Upon entering they could see that it hadn't been vacant for long.

“Nice of them to clean up for us,” a Marine said sarcastically.

“Gunny, what's up with this shit? We get left with cum-stained sheets and a head that's totally unsat!” another Marine hollered, after exiting the head.

“Marines, I understand you're upset, but this isn't the Ritz. Get this place cleaned up before chow at seventeen hundred. Corporal Van Zandt, come here,” Gunny said in his loud and commanding voice.

Sebastian dropped his pack on a rack and walked up to the Gunny.

“Yes, Gunny.”

“Grab a working party of three Marines and make sure our gear that's coming in gets down here. Once that's done, make sure you get some chow, okay?”

“Copy that, Gunny,” Sebastian said. He turned around and walked back to his rack.

Tomlinson looked at him. “I'll help out.”

“Thanks, go get Morris and Randall too,” Sebastian said.

 • • • 

As Sebastian and his working party were making their way through the maze of passageways toward the flight deck, they ran right into some unexpected commotion. A group of armed Marines were forcibly escorting some naval officers down the narrow passageway.

“Step aside, coming through!”

Sebastian and his Marines stepped back out of the way as best they could as the armed Marines quickly passed by. Sebastian noticed the officers were a high-ranking bunch. He had been in long enough now to know something was up and that he had never seen a Navy captain being escorted away by a group of enlisted Marines.

“What was that all about?” Tomlinson asked aloud.

“I don't know, but it didn't look good,” Sebastian responded. “Let's get topside and see if something is going on.”

They hurried the rest of the way without further incidents, opened the hatch to the flight deck, and stepped out. The bright sunlight blinded them all as they stepped over the hatch entrance onto the deck outside. There was a flurry of activity on the flight deck with more choppers coming in.

Sebastian recognized a Marine from S-4, his unit's logistics and supply unit. He approached him and asked, “Has the gear started arriving yet for the STA platoon?”

“No gear has arrived yet, we're just getting the last of the personnel, then the gear will follow; probably within an hour or so,” the S-4 sergeant answered.

“Thank you,” Sebastian said. He turned back to his Marines. As he was walking back, he looked up toward the superstructure and saw Barone just outside the bridge talking with another Marine. The other Marine was waving his arms around in what appeared to be anger.

Sebastian, walking back to his Marines, said, “Look there,” pointing toward Barone.

All the Marines turned around and looked up.

“Something doesn't seem right now, does it?” Sebastian said.

“If I were a betting man, which I am, I would say it looks like the colonel is getting his ass chewed,” Tomlinson said jokingly.

San Diego, California

Gordon shot up in his bed, awakened by cries from down the hall. He tossed off the covers and got out of bed.

“What is it?” Samantha said, a bit alarmed.

“I think it's Haley. I'll go get her; I think she's having a nightmare,” Gordon said quietly. He cautiously walked down the darkened hallway to her room. When he got to Haley's bedroom door, she let out another cry.

“Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!”

He quickly opened the door and stepped inside. “It's okay, sweetie, Daddy's here.”

“Daddy, Daddy,” Haley said with a terrified and sobbing voice. She was sitting up in her bed and staring into the darkness of her room.

Gordon sat down on the bed, grabbed her, and brought her close. He hugged her and kissed her head. “It's okay, sweetie, Daddy is here now. It's okay.”

“It's so dark,” she said, still sobbing. She had lost some of her breath with all of the heavy crying.

Haley's room had a night light before, but with no power it was completely dark.

“I know, honey, but it's okay now. Do you want to come and sleep with Mommy and Daddy?”

“Yes,” she answered. Her face was planted against Gordon's shoulder.

Gordon could feel her wet tears on his shoulder. He patted her head and back and then whispered to her, “Daddy's here, I will never let anything hurt you.”

Gordon stood up, still holding Haley close, and walked back to his room. He climbed back into bed with Haley clinging to him.

“Come here, honey,” Samantha said sweetly and softly to Haley.

“Momma,” Haley said, reaching out to Samantha.

“She was afraid of the dark,” Gordon told Samantha.

“I figured as much.”

Gordon stood back up and was walking for the bedroom door when Samantha asked, “Where are you going?”

“I'm going downstairs; I don't think I'll be able to sleep now.”

He carefully made his way down the stairs to the kitchen. Out of habit, he attempted to turn on the kitchen light, but the reality of the event yesterday suddenly came back when the lights did not turn on. Finding his way to the couch, he sat alone in the dark and thought about the events and the future. Today would be a busy day again. Knowing he couldn't hold back what he thought was happening, he planned on informing those in the community today. He was sure by now that most knew something was terribly wrong but many were not aware of how severe it was. Looking outside, the setting crescent moon took him back to the day he first met Samantha. Sitting back comfortably in the couch he thought about the weekend they had met. His thoughts raced back to that Friday afternoon over nine years ago.

Gordon had just gotten out of the Corps and was staying in Southern California. He had no interest in going back east. He had created a small group of friends, some in and some out of the Marine Corps. One of those friends was Nelson Williams, a firefighter in Oceanside. Gordon had met Nelson while going through a water safety qualification course back in 2002. Nelson was also an Oceanside lifeguard and an instructor for the Marine Corps' Water Safety Course. Gordon and Nelson had hit it off right away. They were both the same age and had identical views of the world and politics. Nelson was throwing a party for Gordon and some of his fellow Marines from 3/1. It promised to be one of those parties that lasted all weekend. Nelson had two different reasons for throwing a party for Gordon. The main one was to introduce him to his girlfriend's best friend, Samantha. Nelson's girlfriend, Seneca, knew Gordon's type—short, blondish hair, curves, with a bit of sweet and feisty thrown in. Fortunately for Gordon, Seneca's friend from school, Samantha, fit that description. Nelson knew they would be a match and he couldn't have been more right.

Gordon's thoughts were jolted back from his thoughts when he felt a touch on the shoulder.

“Oh my God, you scared me,” Gordon said with a hushed voice so as to not wake the kids.

“Are you okay? I wanted to check on you after I put Haley back to sleep.”

Gordon could see her partially illuminated by the faint moonlight coming through the door.

“I was just relaxing and thinking. Come here, sit next to me,” Gordon requested.

Samantha took a few steps and then Gordon grabbed her by the waist and swung her down onto his lap. He put his arms around her and gave her a kiss on the lips. She then rested her head against his shoulder.

“I was thinking about when we met,” Gordon said. “Remember that weekend?”

“I sure do,” she said softly. “I knew when I first saw you that we'd be married.”

“I lost all of my mojo when I saw you. I knew after our first conversation that you were a keeper, but what sealed the deal was when you saved my ass,” Gordon said with a chuckle.

“Your ass needed saving. Plus, I wasn't going to let four guys beat up my future husband.”

Still chuckling, Gordon followed up by saying, “Nelson still mentions that fight every time we get together. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it, but I am reminded often. You have quite a right cross when you're holding a bottle.”

“I told them to get off of you, but they didn't listen,” Samantha said with a sweet and soft voice.

“Please remind me to always listen to you, okay?” Gordon said, hugging Samantha tighter.

“What I need to remind you of is to stop taking on groups of people by yourself at one time.”

“Wait a minute, I didn't take them on or start it. It all started when they wanted to kick Sebastian's ass for flirting with one of their girlfriends. I thought I had smoothed everything over, but those college frat boys thought they had us outnumbered six to two. When that guy laid hands on Sebastian, all negotiations ended,” Gordon said, sounding more defensive.

“I remember, but I also remember you not liking it when they called you ‘Scarface,' ” Samantha said, rubbing Gordon's arm.

“I don't care what people say to me. But Sebastian always gets himself into trouble. That's not the first time I've gotten him out of a rough patch. He just opens his mouth and says shit he shouldn't and it goes from there. He's the one that starts it with people; I just usually have to finish it for him.”

“Well, that time at the beach, I think they got the upper hand.”

“I know. It irritates me still to this day that I didn't see that guy to my right.”

“Honey, you can't get mad, he hit you with a two-by-four. Anybody would have dropped from that.”

“I'm just glad that you smashed him in the head with that bottle,” Gordon said. He paused for a moment, then continued. “Where would I be without you? You have been taking such great care of me since then,” Gordon said, embracing her tighter.

Samantha was running her fingers through his hair and said softly, “Of course I take care of you. You're my man and you take such good care of me and the kids. I will always have your back.”

Samantha then lifted her head and kissed him passionately on the lips.

38,000 feet over Alabama

“President? I'm President of the United States?” Conner said out loud to himself after waking from a restless sleep. He looked over at his wife's empty cot. He wondered where she might be. So much had happened in one day to the both of them. In one day he had lost his son, hundreds of thousands of Americans were dead, and his country was plunged into darkness that would last for months if not years. Over the next weeks and months, more and more Americans would die from dehydration, starvation, lack of medicine, disease, and violence. He was now the one responsible for protecting those 315 million Americans. The questions started coming to him.
Was he up to the task? How would he respond? How would he ever know who did this? What about further attacks? How could he stop those attacks?
The questions kept pouring into his mind. The overriding question was,
How can he protect the American people in such a weakened state?
He knew then he must respond soon. The United States had many enemies, and they would definitely attempt to capitalize on their weakened state.