GATE: Worlds At War

Consequence

"I have never advocated war except as a means of peace." - Gen. Ulysses S. Grant

In the White House Presidential Emergency Operations Center, President Charles D. Jameson together with the National Security Council and General Jerald T. Drummond were watching live feeds from their satellites, drones and whatever news reports from those that were brave or stupid enough to still be in the chaos.

After General Drummond had informed him of the surprise attack on Manhattan, President Jameson had summoned the National Security Council to the Situation Room – although due to such short notice, some of the members could only attend by live video feed – only to find out just what the fuck was going on there. Their words could be summed up as this: 'How did a hostile force get into their shores without them noticing again?!'

The Director of National Intelligence and the video link of the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Terrence J. Cooper and Samantha E. Kerstin respectively, had no answers to this question for they was just as stumped as the rest of the Council. From their departments, there were no breaches in security and their surveillance satellites did not pick up any kind of hostile force entering US territory.

Besides this isolated bombshell, the entire world - especially Europe - was still rebuilding from the devastation of the Third World War and no one wanted to start another war like that – not after just seventeen years.

It was not until General Drummond, the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, established a link to the USS America and got a video transmission from their troops on the ground and the news channels.

What the NSC saw with the exception of General Drummond, were left dumbfounded and in shock. The General could not blame the member of the NSC when they shook their heads and/or pinched themselves for he did not believe it when he first saw the reports.

The shock did not last long though as President Jameson immediately called for all available units that could reach New York as soon as possible to mobilize and defeat the aggressors.

With the orders given and their forces mobilizing, all they had to do now was coordinate and watch as troops fought against the most unusual enemy to invade their soil. While the rest of the NSC were scrambling to process real time information coming their way and give the appropriate commands, President Jameson was seething in anger.

Seventeen years; that is how long his country had been healing itself. Seventeen years to undo the damage and destruction that had been brought to their shores. Seventeen years to let the world know even a semblance of peace. The moment everyone finally let their guard down this happened but that was not what he was angry about.

From their satellites to the news, it all showed one thing. The enemy was killing his countrymen and it was not a quick death like one would expect from a bullet. They were butchering men, women, and children in the streets.

He even saw a mother and a child being grabbed by this giant creature thing and were eaten. The child was first to be eaten as the mother watched helplessly, crying for her child before being eaten herself and whatever what was left of their corpses were discarded like trash. It was not just this though as numerous atrocities were being committed on the civilians by these...monsters.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, General Drummond had received word that the battle was over and most of the enemy force was destroyed and the rest surrendered. All of the Security Council breathed a sigh of relief that the crisis was over with but the President wanted – no, needed to know what the losses were.

"General, I want a straight answer." President Jameson dreaded the answer to this question but it must be done. "How many...how many lives were lost in the attack?"