Type 88

Part 3 - Action, Chapter 7

7

Thirty-Three Days until the Deadline

Melinda sat with six other military advisors in an executive meeting room on the seventh floor of the Pentagon. Her contemporaries chatted among themselves, laughing over jokes and stories that were inaudible to her. She sat back, resting her arm on the empty chair next to her, staring at the front of the room.

Defense Secretary Will McFadden entered, speaking to one of his revolving line of assistants.

When the snake eats its own tail, where's the head? Melinda thought.

McFadden's team had been fruitless in its quest to find where the broadcast had come from, much less the specific identity of the voice. It was evident that the perpetrators had used technology beyond the team's means of discovery. McFadden now shifted his focus toward curbing the American reaction to it.

Melinda's expertise was in civil unrest. Almost a year ago to the day, she had introduced the room to Jade Helm, which proved apropos to their current situation. Since the broadcast, Will had deferred to Melinda first in each of their daily briefings.

So far, she had kept the party line. She informed the room that her team continued to monitor the rising level of unrest since the broadcast. She felt that the most prudent course of action was to hold off. "Civil unrest hasn't spread from the usual susceptible areas of the world. The United States should keep a diplomatic holding pattern for the time being," she relayed with regularity.

Today, the room quieted, as usual. Melinda grinned. McFadden began the meeting, and the roundtable again started with Melinda. She rattled through her list of red-flag areas like she was walking through her morning routine. Today, however, she had extra clarity.

Before she finished, she leaned forward in her chair and fixed her gaze on McFadden. The old man stiffened at her sudden turn of presence.

"A new inclusion of note is Japan," she said.

McFadden interrupted. "Melinda, given your...history with Japan, I urge you to tread lightly," he warned.

Melinda continued her gaze. The two watched each other for a moment before McFadden broke, restacking papers in front of him. "Continue," he said.

"Sir, I assure you I am reporting on data gathered by accredited sources for which I have an extensive history and the utmost respect. Bringing Japan into the picture is not something I take lightly," she said.

McFadden loosened.

She prodded further. "As you're all aware, Shiro delivered an address to the Japanese people in the days following the broadcast, calling for universal peace. The speech caused a stir in many areas of the country. Many viewed his response as another failed attempt to cement his legacy at a cost to the country's security—a weakness.

"Our view on the matter? Demanding peace while seated atop a stockpile of weaponry that rivals our own is disingenuous at best and criminal at worst. But this is not the threat I wish to bring to light today."

Melinda scanned the room, landing again on McFadden. The old man sat slumped, staring into his lap.

"The pulse of Japan is no longer stemming from Shiro's camp," she continued. "The nation has teetered on the brink of civil unrest for the better part of the past five years. General Sang has a dominating political presence that captivates its citizens. My team has it on good authority that General Sang is using the unique opportunity that the broadcast has presented to seize this shifting power dynamic and overthrow Shiro—to get formal control of Japan."

McFadden looked back up to Melinda, processing what she was saying.

"A controlled strike against the United States is the perfect catalyst for a country that distrusts Shiro's alliances with us." She paused, sensing that what she was about to say could turn the room. "Sir, I have evidence that General Sang and his associates are the parties responsible for the broadcast. Over the past five years, they have used Japan's military research-and-development funding to create the level of communications technology necessary to deliver it. Rather than threaten the United States directly, they used a wider, more general threat to raise patriotism within Japan. I believe that when the deadline arrives, Japan will covertly attack the United States and other world powers, perhaps with nuclear weapons. They will attempt to convince their people and the rest of the world that they're not at fault and, instead, were able to protect themselves from the perpetrators of the broadcast because of their new militaristic strategy."

"Shift the blame, and total control," she finished. She felt intoxicated with influence. "With your permission, General, my team will prod deeper into the situation."

"How do you know Sang and his people aren't having the same conversation over there?" McFadden asked.

Melinda pounced. "Sir, in 2001, between May and August, the president's administration received seven briefs detailing the potential for a terrorist attack by Al Qaeda. The president responded by questioning the thoroughness of those briefings." She sharpened her gaze. "I suggest we learn from these mistakes and heed this warning now, sir."

McFadden glanced toward the aide he had entered the room with. "We'll temporarily double your team's resources. Bring me hard data here, Melinda," he said.

***

The difficult part was over. She had won. "Hard data" was trivial to manufacture.

She could finally take Shiro off the map.

Melinda walked out of the Pentagon, closed her eyes, and raised her face toward the sun. She was floating again.