Otherworldly Liberty

Chapter 1: New World

Marcus was not happy at all, their situation was already dire enough, and yet, while he tried to look 'underneath the underneath' and mentally steeled himself for almost any event, from an alien invasion to an all-out surprise nuclear strike, he was not prepared for this pure, unadulterated lunacy.

He entered the meeting hall, with a calm fury threatening to bubble up and smash its way out as a tsunami of unfiltered rage, yet he kept his emotions in check. 'I am the fucking President of the United States, not a child! Keep it together, Marcus!' he screamed inside his mind.

Everyone in the room stood at attention after seeing their Commander in Chief, the U.S. President, enter the room.

"At ease!" said Marcus with an exasperated edge in his speech, not a moment later, he ordered, "Report!"

High-ranking military and government officials filled the dark room, only illuminated by the dim glow of the massive screens surrounding the situation room.

The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Defense, shoulder to shoulder, began.

"Mr. President... We have lost all contact with our Orbital Satellite Network, leaving us completely blind and deaf, the reason why I'm the one telling you this is that, as protocol and Nuclear Military Doctrine indicate, should we fail to establish lines of communication with our remaining Nuclear Silo Facilities before 42 hours pass... they will initiate an automatic, all-out nuclear strike in predetermined coordinates.", explained the Secretary of Homeland Defense, Jonathan Wright, keeping a professional front outside, while almost shitting himself on the inside as the implications of such an event sunk-in.

Marcus lost all color on his face immediately but didn't show any outward signs of nervousness, the man stood unmoving and eerily quiet for seconds that felt like hours, and finally, he started barking orders just like he used to do during the World War, slipping back into his Supreme Commander persona.

"I want all of our AWACS and Recon aircraft on the air right now! We brought them back to the mainland a few days ago now is the time to use them! Get those wings in contact with the remaining active launch sites ASAP! Tell them that I, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, order them to immediately stand down, and to NOT carry out a launch no matter what! Have them spread the order through whatever means necessary, is that clear?!"

"Sir, yes sir! Cristal!", said everyone in the room, the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff immediately began to carry out his task and organized the operation.

"And what about our nuclear submarines?", asked Marcus, a headache already beginning to nag at his composure.

One of the officials cleared his throat and spoke up.

"As you know, Mr. President, we ended up losing some of them in the massive fleet battles of the Pacific, the 'nuke duels' we had with the Chinese on that front finished with entire Strike Groups destroyed, and a couple of our subs being able to retreat amid the chaos. After the war ended, we recalled all of them to the mainland as part of the Treaty of Stockholm, which prohibits the deployment of nuclear submarines on international waters for at least 20 years. They are all docked and unarmed.", said the Chief of Naval Operations, Walter Thompson, a calm and collected visage accompanying his rough, sharp expression.

Marcus gave him a firm nod, pleased with the answer, "Walter, have at least a squadron of ships from each of our remaining CSGs (Carrier Strike Groups) patrol the waters around the mainland as far out their supply situation allows for, order them to report anything and everything out of place they see immediately. Normally we would deploy aircraft for this purpose, but our Air Force is going to be busy with the... nuclear facility situation. We need these remaining Aircraft Carriers at home, so they are off-limits! Do you understand?" He finished, sipping on a bit of water to hydrate his dry throat.