Bionica: The War

God Bless America

President Zosur Stone paced his office. The United States was a prosperous country; he knew that. But what if it could be more prosperous? The question had kept him awake at night for several weeks now. He'd barely eaten, barely come out of his office, and his wife was hounding him about it. If he could just find the answer, this could all stop.

"Sir?"

The President whirled his head around to find his top general, Horus Mereb, standing to attention in the doorframe. General Mereb gave a stiff salute. Stone returned the gesture. "What is it now?" he asked impatiently.

Mereb entered the office. "World news update, sir," he said as he took off his hat. "The Haitian Revolution has turned in favor of the government. The sieges at Port-au-Prince have been unsuccessful for the rebels."

A grumble escaped Stone's throat. If there was one government he hated, it was Haiti. They'd taken to being peaceful with the rest of the world. To him, life was no fun without a good war in it. Either that or an empire to rule.

An empire?

A thought crossed Stone's mind and he smiled. "General," he asked in a suave tone, "what do you think the Haitian rebels need in order to win their struggle?"

Mereb thought for a while. "Well, I suppose they'd simply need more men, proper weapons, maybe some training."

Grinning gleefully, Stone formulated his plan. "Tell them that we can offer them these things."

The general was confused. "Umm, any particular reason you're doing this, sir?" he asked.

"Tell them we can offer them these things..." the President turned around, "on the condition that they install an American in Prime Minister Frere's place.

A look of understanding crossed Mereb's face. "Yes, sir," he said. "I'll get to communications right away."

"Good," said the President, laughing at himself for being so clever.

_______

The world had been slightly shocked at the Haitian rebels' victory, but even more so at the fact that Stone's Vice President had been placed in their power seat. Still, they didn't question it. It was the rebels' decision, after all. Stone himself, meanwhile, was throwing parties to celebrate his cunning and Mereb's military genius.

Mereb approached the President, a glass of champagne in his hand. The pins that decorated his formal military jacket jingled as he made his way over, making it obvious that he'd had one too many. "Mr. President!" he said, clapping Stone on the back. His voice was slightly slurred. "Congratulations on the big win!"

"It was all thanks to your stratagems," Stone replied, clearly in his right mind. "You deserve to enjoy yourself for a night... as it seems you have been."

"Thank you, sir," Mereb said, offering a sloppy salute. "Y'know, if we can take Haiti, we could probably take on someone in Africa just as well. You could charge their lines with the gazelles!" And he walked away, guffawing at his own joke. But the President wasn't laughing.

He was thinking again.

_______

Mereb returned to the presidential office about a week after Uganda's capture. He clutched his head, nursing a hangover.

The President came out of his chambers. "Ah, good morning, General," he said almost cheerily. "I trust you enjoyed last night's events?"

"Well, sir," Mereb said drowsily, "I like to party when I can, but that won't stop me from getting one hell of a headache."

"Good, good, good," Stone said, ignoring Mereb's comments. "I have a question for you."

Mereb sat, trying to focus on something other than the pounding in his head. "I'll try my best to answer, sir,"

Stone leaned forward. "How strong is your army as of late?"

The question stumped General Mereb. "I... I'm not quite sure sir," he said. "I haven't seen them since the campaigns in Africa."

"Yes, I understand. But they fought well, didn't they?"

"Well, yes, I suppose so."

Stone looked at a map. "Mexico's forces are currently attempting to dominate Central America," he said thoughtfully. "I think it's time we showed them how it's done."

_______

Haiti, parts of Africa, and Central America had all been dominated for some time. The American Empire, as Stone called it, was as bountiful as ever. And now General Mereb's armies were going for the oil reserves of Syria. Another general was with immense forces in the south of Russia, and two admirals had been sent after Cuba. These so-called fortresses would never see it coming.

The Situation Room was buzzing with political figures, military icons, and secretaries with cups of coffee. The amount of feed being broadcast onto the wall was truly a sight to behold. Men in sandy-colored combat fatigues hid behind sand dunes, while SEALs in dark blue piloted submarines in the clear tropical waters, and at the same time soldiers dressed in white tackled Russia's winter.

"Sir?" a secretary said to Stone. "The Chinese government is on the line. They know you're going into the Middle East and want to offer their allegiance to the American Empire for the time being."

Stone smiled. "Good, good! We need all the men we can get!" With that, he turned back to the screen and watched as the squad in Russia stormed the Kremlin. All was quiet, but Stone was sure there'd be some action soon enough. The Russians wouldn't give up so easily.

A full ten minutes passed and there was still no action on the part of the enemy forces. Syria was taken, and the submarines in Cuba were prepared to surface. So what was the holdup?

"President Stone!" a high-pitched voice said. A frantic-looking secretary, glasses askew, rushed in. "The Russians have fled the Kremlin, but soldiers have found a button underneath the desk!"

Stone stood up. "Calm down, girl! Now, what did the button do?"

The girl sucked in deeply. "It launched nuclear missiles! They'll be here within twenty minutes!"