Control of the Game

Chapter 1

U.S. President Angelo Demarcus sat in the Oval Office and watched as the people around him frantically got things done. Currently, people were moving and doing things faster than he had ever seen before. And more to his disliking, they were counting on him in this time of crisis more than ever.

Not that he could not bear the weight, he could, but what they were looking for could not be done, the people were looking for America to be the strongest nation on earth again, and right now they weren’t—-not by a long shot. Well, at least to everyone but a select few.

His Chief of Staff, Paul Sinclair, entered the room followed by his staffer Kelly Nabil, who was carrying Paul’s laptop, ready to be needed at any moment. Paul was a very fit six-foot-tall man at one hundred and sixty pounds. With his hazel eyes and perfect smile, he was the complete package, albeit he had very thinning deep brown hair, and oftentimes the President thought…it won’t be long now Sonny.

Everyone had a right to be worried, but Paul was in near hysteria in front of all to see. The President addressed him in a hushed tone, “Please calm yourself, you have beads of sweat running down your brow, it’s embarrassing.” Angelo was really uptight about appearance, and Paul knew this. Paul addressed Kelly, “I’ll need to speak to the President alone.” She capitulated and left, but not before looking crestfallen that she cannot be trusted with the big stuff.

Addressing President Demarcus alone now, Paul exclaimed, “Very funny. You know I’ve been running around like mad. Why aren’t you more bent? How can you sit there and be so calm? This is not grandstanding; our enemies really have created an alliance of power against us and you’re acting like you aren’t being expected to respond. They attacked our cruiser in open waters and now, after imposing their new territorial boundary lines, they threatened to blow any flagged U.S. vessel out of the water in the South China Sea for Chrissake! They have claimed if we’re anywhere close to their claimed shipping lanes, it’s on, and now they want you to rescind what got you elected and have you remove the tariffs.” Paul said his whole diatribe in one breath, exhausting all his oxygen.

Angelo looked at his upended subordinate and gave him a reassuring half smile, “Did you forget what the world learned about the coming nuclear winter? There is no winning this war. Do you really think that Russia’s hypersonic weapons can avoid that?” Paul shook his head, “It’s not just Russia. You know President Soon doesn’t care one bit how it appears to the international community, he is hell-bent on burning us up in a lake of fire. We know he was in China last week, so the deal’s been cooking, but now it’s on the table. You either drop your import tariffs, or we’ll be facing hostile waters everywhere we turn.” The President smiled at his Chief of Staff. He was two and half years into his presidency and when he took office, he found out that he been very wrong in the debates. He had hammered the Democrats on defense. He hammered them on their weakness and in part he was right, but in a very big way he was wrong and now the burden was his. He thought partisanship ruled all, and that the minute he took office he would defund all the liberal programs and move along with his agenda. How very wrong he was. “When do I go on Paul?” “In two hours.”

President Demarcus conceded, “Well, the American people have the right to know the truth, and so do you Paul. I’m afraid I’ve inherited a top-secret encumbrance that’s time has come. Its name is Project Control, so please call a cabinet meeting and invite the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I will call Gabriel myself, as he’s the one to bring me into this in the first place.”

Paul thought his President was kidding him, making even more light of his faltering togetherness, but then realized it was no joke and his forehead furrowed as the words sank in, “What kind of top-secret project? And Gabriel Harris doesn’t like you, so why would the Director of the CIA have you in on anything?” Angelo had the disappointed look of a father whose son was not getting the lesson, “Well if I told you that here and now, then it wouldn’t be classified now would it, Paul?”

Shaking his head at the inane question he had just asked, Paul bowed out to get the things done he was told to do. As soon as he left the Oval Office, Kelly was right there and sprung to life. No salutations were given, “We need to call a meeting of the Cabinet and the Joint Chiefs—-the President has some news he needs to deliver before he addresses the American people in two hours.” Kelly was already in action on her PowerBook as they were walking, then she asked the obvious question, “Do you know why?” “It’s above my pay grade, Demarcus says it’s top-secret.”His assistant lowered her glasses down her nose to show incredulity, “Above your pay grade? You’re his Chief of Staff?” He loved this girl. Although he would never stray across the line, she had this nerdy girl by day, very naughty black-haired vixen at night thing going, and when she lowered her glasses, Paul thought she was the sexiest thing in the world. From a respectable distance of course, he was no fool.

Nonetheless, she was something to behold, and that was not counting what was inside her head. He said in a hushed tone, “I realize that, but he said it was an encumbrance he inherited, so he was obviously not allowed to tell anyone.” With an unabashed curiosity Kelly wondered aloud, “What the hell could it be?” As they turned into their office, Paul issued, “I have no idea, but I sure hope and pray it’s huge.”

CHAPTER TWO

“You go on in five minutes sir.” “Thank you, Paul.” Paul looked at him a little starry eyed, “Good luck Mr. President.” Angelo cleared his throat, then thanked his Chief of Staff, who now knew how hard what he needed to say to the American people was really going to be—-he would be speaking to both houses tonight, as well as the world at large.

He looked into the mirror as the makeup people made him presentable. He was the new sixty, looking forty-five at the most. He had all his real hair, and his wife talked him into letting the pepper show in his full and dark, perfectly styled hairdo. She said it made him look dignified and less vain. Of course, she was right as usual. The final application of whatever was applied and before he knew it, his Press Secretary was introducing him to the podium—-He always laughed at that, as his olive complexion was perfect without makeup. It was time to face the world.

His country was wounded, they were worried, and they were looking for him to produce the answers to their problems. He had answers for sure, but another thing he was sure of; none of them, not one, could have ever guessed in a million years what was about to leave his mouth. He was a great orator, and he commanded the room when he spoke—-not through thunderous decibel levels, but from using strong words succinctly, yet on point and apt.

He was not a person to run on, and if one were taking notes on one of his speeches, one should not go to the bathroom, or it might be over by the time one returned. He took the podium after a good ten minutes of handshaking and making his way over. It gave him a firsthand chance to see the multitude of faces and races that made his wonderful country great. Before he could start, the ovations started again.

He was a well-liked president for sure. He raised both hands for silence and people took their seats after a solid minute. He let them know right away that this speech was long, and they had a lot to get through, so he was requesting the applause come at the end. People settled. He grabbed the podium with both hands on the side, his height was five-foot ten, but he was often told he looked taller.

He faced the camera and teleprompter, his brown eyes searching and pleading in their behavior, but at the same time there was something else there, something indefinable now, but it would soon be described as defiance. As he began his speech, he knew that theoretically, every speech was recorded in the annals of history, but a select few were unforgettable. Some were so poignant that the pages of the records could not contain them; they had to burst out of the ledger and demand their place among the pillars that were the foundation and support for the continued proliferation of democracy, and for sure, this was such a speech. “Ladies and Gentlemen of the United States of America.”

He adjusted his posture and squared more at the camera, “People of the world. It comes to me with a heavy heart that I must deliver this message. “When the United States first pursued the nuclear bomb, we were desperate. We needed to stop our enemies from making it first and we needed to have the resolve to use it when we completed the Manhattan Project. We were poised to lose another million men in a bloody campaign that showed no end in sight. The Japanese were training women with brooms instead of guns, training them to fight to the last person rather than surrender and Okinawa showed us that. “We thought we were doing the right thing. In retrospect, we now know that a million lives would have been well worth the price. As a result of our actions the world must now pay a dear price as shown by this latest attempt to destroy freedom and democracy.

“Nuclear proliferation has become so rampant that our comrades in Russia have taken it upon themselves to arm our enemy in Iran with nuclear weapons, creating their own Iron Dome. And our friends in China have been busy helping North Korea increase their rocket technology to deliver their payloads. Everyone is terribly busy helping everyone.” President Demarcus paused for a drink of water from a glass under his podium. “As a result of his observing this birth of an axis of power against the United States, my former predecessor did the one thing I accused him of not doing, he pursued a secret plan of action to defend us against such aggression’s…the type that were just levied against America by the new axis of power constructed by Russia and China.

“President Gilbert Casey put into action Project Control. Until today this project was top-secret. Unfortunately, he was not able to complete it by the time his presidency was over, but he was able to hand it to me and I certainly did. It was a visionary act of bravery that changed my mind about the man and led me to appoint him to the post of Ambassador to Russia.

“I truly wish he were here today so I could tell him personally, but as our friends overseas have proclaimed, there are no suspects in the downing of his jet over Damascus last year, a tragedy that killed his entire envoy. “So that brings us to his legacy. The legacy of President Gilbert Casey, God rest his soul.

As of tomorrow, pursuant to his top-secret protection act, the United States will begin to deactivate its entire nuclear strike arsenal.” Without as much as a second in between, the room exploded into a mass of hysteria that took a good minute to calm down—-as if he did not miss a beat, the president continued, “As of last night our Control module is now online.

Control is not an acronym; it means literal control, not over someone else, but control over what our own destiny will be. “President Casey understood that with nuclear proliferation would come new threats of every conceivable kind. New weapons with speeds that can infiltrate our defenses, much like the weapons Russia just boasted of having to attack us with and plans to put on their submarines. New more powerful cluster weapons capable of taking out a country the size of the UK with a single missile—-using technology that just kills the people, saving infrastructure. “This cannot stand, yet we are not able to stop it. And now with this new alliance and assurance of a trade and territorial war starting, backed by the real threat of military action, the United States would be living in a perpetual state of peril.

These perfect storms of threats were the precise combination to activate the Control protection protocol. “To bring everyone closer to my point, another word I could use to describe the Control program would be its more recognizable name—-Control is a Doomsday device.” It was a perfect time to pause for effect, so he paused and drank some water, but the chatter was fever pitch, needing to be slammed down by his Press Secretary Brian Cyphers, with frantic arm motions. President Demarcus took control of the room again, “Using A.I. technology, our top scientists put together an algorithm that would analyze all existing data on threats to the United States.

Once it determined that the attack on the U.S. was so complete that we could not survive, it would activate the protection protocol. As of 2038 hours, last night, Control is active.” He again gave pause for it was needed; the room stirred once again until he continued. “What that means is this. We longer need our nuclear deterrent; we never intended to strike anyone first anyway, so I am hereby ordering it dismantled. We don’t need them. Our enemies cannot use tactical nuclear weapons on us out in the world because there is no such thing…these weapons are anything but tactical or even strategic. Once they are used, then the places they were used in are toxic hot zones for untold generations.

“The Control protector program is in an unknown location, buried over a mile into the earth. Its algorithm is controlled by a team of scientists aided by Prescott, our A.I. creation designed specifically to constantly maintain information on the health of our country. Prescott would be able to detect and verify a nuclear or biological attack in several ways and once he has determined that the U.S. had suffered a crippling attack, he would then carry out his final command. He would activate Control to detonate.

“The Control module is designed to ensure that whoever attacked and destroyed the United States will not then live in the world and prosper afterward. With a delivery of three hundred and fifty thousand kilotons, our scientists predict it will split off a large part of the earth, much the way a firecracker blows off the fingers of an untrained hand. If nothing else, it would cause a series of cataclysmic natural events worldwide that could not be reversed, extinction events ensuring mutual destruction.

“If the United States were to be attacked from this point on, at least in a way that Prescott determined we were in peril of annihilation, then Control will be detonated, Prescott cannot be turned off in a light switch kind of way, he’s a living being…this was a one-way decision. With the constant threat of our destruction, it was the only way we could ensure that those that wished to destroy us were not going to get away with it unscathed.

“We understand that there are nations on earth that will say we are now holding the world hostage, but our situation is beyond dire, it has become desperate. Our enemies have aligned, they are setting up to take us out and they just shot a cannonball right over our bow with this new embargo and unlawful jurisdictional restrictions, the possibility of nuclear war has never been closer.

We know we have many regional allies in NATO, Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan to name a few, but to what end? A nuclear showdown where city after city burns one by one until the entire world smolders…well not by our hand it won’t. “Our research and findings are not showing this constant posturing to ever end, thus our decision to create and activate Control. Our nuclear submarine deterrent was designed to ensure that the country attacking us was also going to perish.

With Control activated, those submarines can come home and get refitted with conventional weapons for our protection. “We certainly are not saying we are suddenly going to back down from a fight, but what we are saying is that we won’t be holding weapons of mass destruction anymore. I’m also ordering all chemical and biological weapon stations be transformed into medical research facilities.

All the reserves of these weapons will be destroyed. “If Prescott determines the actions against us will lead to our extinction, regardless of their nature, then he will carry out his orders, like the good and dedicated soldier he is. Thanks to Prescott, we do not need any more weapons of mass destruction but one.” They could not hold it. Starting with the Dems, it burst out. After three minutes of straight applause, he had to regain control.

“So, my final word to this axis aligned against us. You were right when you said it was a new world and the United States would have to live with it. But that did not mean we had to take it lying down and if you knew us, you would have known and expected that we would not.

We will not be bullied or coerced in any manner, and if anyone tries to end the world using weapons of mass destruction from this point on, it will not be us, but we will have the last say in the matter, that is for sure.

“Again, my fellow Americans, I am sorry it has come to this, but in a way, it has always been so to some degree in this modern era. Most people do not realize as they sleep in their beds that the reason Russia never attacked us was their assured mutual destruction at the hands of our nuclear submarine fleet.

“In other words, it has always been, ‘we’re taking you with us,’ we’re just changing the rules of the game as to how that happens, that’s all—-instead of many nuclear weapons launched at our enemies in a final goodbye to civilization, it will be just one. “But isn’t that what America has always done? We do not like threats, we do not like bullies, and we certainly do not like to be held hostage, so we let our enemies know exactly the price they will pay. Please try to come together on this and understand our new stance here because we really have no choice. These people have been working for fifty years on how to thwart our nuclear submarine deterrent…and now with the melting ice caps, better satellites and A.I., we are more vulnerable than we have ever been. If our enemy’s assured mutual destruction gets removed, then we would all go to sleep every night uncertain, having the anxiety of waiting for a sneak attack that would never be answered.

“Unfortunately, we’ve grown soft in America. We have forgotten that we are a nation forged from righteous indignation at the hands of tyranny. We stood and stopped the kings that sought to rule us. Well, my fellow Americans, it is time once again to become those people and remember some famous words from our Founding Father, Patrick Henry, who so heartily stated, ‘Give me liberty, or give me death.’”

Angelo Demarcus paused, steadied himself on the podium, looked straight into the camera and said, “Those words proved true then, and even more so now.” The applause went on for an extended period. Angelo had to fight to quiet the room and ended his speech with a final thought, “Thank you Speaker Hensley and Senate majority leader Mannford, to the House, Senate and the rest of the assembly, I truly thank you for coming out tonight and accepting this harsh new reality admirably.”