“I told you back when all this started that I wouldn’t hesitate to use every ounce of power you gave me. Did you think that was just hyperbole? I’ve had to dismiss half the Supreme Court and appoint new ones. I’ve even been forced to repeal Habeas Corpus and the right to bear arms for millions. Do you think I would hesitate to shake up some bureaucratic institutions?”
The head congressman looked around the room for support and found none. Showing more spine than usual, he pushed forward anyhow. “This is not ‘some institution’ we’re talking about… to place civilian law enforcement under military control… Jesus Christ! That goes against everything America stands for! It’s essentially nationwide martial law!”
The speaker of the house felt real fear for the first time in years when the president came around the table, stood behind his chair and clapped both hands on his shoulders. The congressman didn’t flinch because of the strength of his grip. No, the president’s eerily calm tone scared him the most.
“You personally rammed this bill through the House and Senate. When this crisis first ramped up, you and your compatriots on the Hill were the only constitutionally legitimate government. My term was up. The president-elect was dead and his opponent in open rebellion in Florida. Half the Supreme Court fled to those opportunists in California. Only Congress could still claim legal authority. Instead of standing up and providing real leadership, you people kicked the buck over to me. You sold out a 230-year-old democracy just to avoid assuming a little responsibility. So don’t you fucking dare question my methods of cleaning up your mess!”
He released the pale-white politician and stood by the general’s projector screen. “I never asked for this power, but tyrant is what this country has made me. That has become my legacy. So be it. I will do everything, constitutional or otherwise, to end this Godforsaken war as quickly and painlessly as possible and ensure that I’m the last dictator this country ever has. If anyone here is uncomfortable with that, consider this your last opportunity to jump ship. Stand up, walk out and be done with this whole mess. If you stay, you are committing to reuniting this country no matter the cost. I cannot stress that last part enough. If need be, we will ignore the Constitution in order to save it.”
Whether from fear or principle, no one moved. Most returned the president’s piercing gaze.
Without dwelling on the fight any longer, the president turned his attention to the upcoming fight. “All right. Now back to the business at hand. Since our air campaign this past week has had no serious effect on enemy morale, what’s the next phase of Operation Enduring Unity?”
All eyes turned to General Bremer. Ultimate power sucked ultimately. He turned the reins of the briefing over to his right-hand man. The colonel, who wished he were anywhere other than this kindergarten, soldiered up anyway.
“Well sir, the enemy’s solidarity and surprising resiliency have at least narrowed our options down. Since the cruise missiles only hardened their resolve, there’s just one reasonable course of action left.”
The president shifted his coffee mug and sorted through various Top Secret binders underneath. He hefted the thickest one up. “The ‘D-day’ plan, you mean? Slug it out from Missouri to California? That’s exactly what the media assumes we’ll do. Are we 100 % positive that bloodbath is the only solution?”
The colonel nodded with obvious effort. “Yes sir. The shortest invasion route is out of the question as long as Texas refuses to allow offensive operations across their border. Unless there is a political remedy…”
The president shook his head. Texas and Oklahoma remained nominally loyal to the US, but their neutral military stance was a never-ending headache for him. “Not anytime soon. So attacking through Kansas and Nebraska are the only available paths?”
“Yes sir. An assault in the north from the Dakotas is too far out of the way. The sound strategy is to charge into the heart of the URA. Cut them in half as we push our way to the coast. On the plus side, at least most of the fighting should be out in the open. Limits the collateral damage.”
None of this was new for the president, but he still desperately grasped around for options. “Is there no way to at least surprise the traitors?”
General Bremer stepped in and relieved the colonel. “Afraid not, sir. There’s zero chance a sneak attack of any significant size could take them off guard. Too many rebel sympathizers are still running around our own country. Too many reporters looking for sensational stories, as well. In short, achieving strategic surprise is impossible. Our best recommendation is to hit them with everything we’ve got at once. Show them the futility of resisting. Shock and awe is our best hope.”
The vice president cleared his throat. No one noticed. They weren’t used to him doing anything in these briefings other than just nodding along with the president’s decisions. He finally raised his hand, as if in grade school. “Um, I realize no one wants to consider this, but we should address the giant elephant in the room. Especially if we’re planning an all-out invasion. How many nuclear weapons does the URA control? Salazar claims they have a sizable deterrent, after all.”
All General Bremer could do was shrug again. “As I reported previously, 1,807 warheads of all types are unaccounted for after the initial rebellion. We have confirmation that every single weapon was successfully deactivated by remote permissive action link before their bases were overrun. What has happened since then… Honestly, I have no idea. All I can say for sure, Mr. Vice President, is that military intelligence has not uncovered any deployed nuclear weapons near the border. We’re hunting for them. That’s a top priority.”
The president nodded at his CIA chief. “Go ahead and tell everyone what you told me. No point in keeping it classified any longer.”
The spook frowned. It was good politics to have a secret shared only with the boss. He’d have to find something else. “Yes sir. We can confirm that every one of the missing devices is under URA control. At the risk of giving away too much information, just know their inventory matches our missing list. None of the weapons are loose or in the hands of any non-state actors.”
The president prodded him with his eyes.
“Ok. We know that several hundred nuclear devices were destroyed in air strikes to prevent their capture. Of the remainder, we estimate the rebels somehow defied the odds and bypassed the P.A.L security systems on no less than 200, but no more than 600 warheads. A nuclear capability theoretically equal to France’s arsenal.”
There was a collective gasp. General Bremer was the first to recover.
“Why the hell was this kept from me? We’ve been working under the assumption that the URA had a handful of nukes, at most. This turns our whole strategy upside down!”
The CIA man waved his hand. “Calm down. That’s their paper strength. Bear in mind, almost all of these warheads are iron bombs. The type that need to be dropped from a plane. Old devices already slated to be scrapped. The URA doesn’t have more than five nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and we still control all the ICBM silos and ballistic missile subs. It’s not like Salazar can ‘press the button’ and destroy the world. Besides, it’s all for show anyway. No matter how many or what type of weapons they have, they’ll never use them.”
“How the hell can you be so cavalier about this? You have no idea what desperate measures criminals might resort to.”