Annihilation Prequel - Psychic Beginnings (31 page)

“Judith will be driving down from the The University of Nebraska. She’s angry that she will miss a final, but she’s coming.” He paused and asked, “This is what we’ve been working on for the last twenty years, isn’t it?”

Robert sighed, “I’m afraid it is Son. You don’t know how much I’ve appreciated your help in the Senate.”

“I wouldn’t have been elected without your fine record in the House. What have we been building, Dad? Why did you agree to do it?”

“Because I trust the one who asked with my life.” He paused and said, “And with yours.”

“When will we find out what’s going on?”

Robert Sr. smiled, “Soon.” He had just turned eighty nine and Robert Sr. hoped he would see his ninetieth birthday.

• • •

“Has he arrived?”

“He has.”

“Take him when he arrives at the bank. I’ll have a helicopter standing by to take him to his cell. Hold him until we decide what to do.”

“What about his guards?”

“They shouldn’t be a problem if you handle this properly.”

“I’ll dispose of their bodies from the helicopter.”

“That would be good.”

T
he President arrived in China for his summit meeting with the Premier and was greeted by thousands cheering his arrival. He entered his limo and his entourage left the airport and headed toward the Government Center in Beijing. He was greeted by the Premier and they posed for the thousands of photographers gathered for the momentous event. The President followed the Premier into the Capital and entered a huge room where they would meet and discuss the future relations between their countries. Finally, all the others were taken out of the room, leaving only the President and the Premier.

The President smiled and said, “Is everything ready on your end?”

“It is, but first we need to move to a place where we can safely discuss our plan.” The Premiere stood and walked over to a door and entered a code. The door swung inward and the two walked down a corridor to an elevator door that was massive and heavily armored. The door opened and the Premier entered, followed by the President. The President knew the elevator was operating at high speed but it took two minutes to stop. The President looked at the Premier and he said, “We’re going to our central control facility below this building.” They exited and the President was met by two Chinese soldiers that escorted him to a chair facing a wall with numerous monitors. The Premier looked at his commanding General and said, “Is everything ready?”

“They’re on hold awaiting your instructions. However, General Huang requests to speak with you for a moment.”

The Premier looked over to the far wall and saw the old General standing between two guards. “What does he want?”

“He won’t tell us, Excellency. He just says it’s crucial to our survival that he speak with you.”

The Premier stared at the General who was rewarded for being a hero of the state and quickly gave a short nod. Huang walked forward and said, “Are you planning an attack on the United States?”

The Premier was surprised by the question, “Where did you come up with that idea?”

“I have been contacted by the White Demon and warned that I needed to talk you out of any attack on his domain.” The Premier stared at the old man and didn’t say anything. The President watched the two and wondered what they were discussing. His interpreter was not telling him what was being said. Huang waited a moment and said, “The Demon told me more than forty years ago that one day I was going to be given an opportunity to try and prevent my country from attacking his domain. He told me that if that attack was carried out, my country would face a destruction that would be beyond belief. Are you planning an attack?”

“I need to know who told you this.”

“I was informed by a note that was tacked to my door. Here is the note. Sir, you have no idea of the Demon’s power. If we attack his home, he will respond in ways that will be unimaginable. If you are considering an attack, I beg you to reconsider.”

The Premier looked at the note and sneered, “There is no Demon and if there is, he will not be around to bother us shortly.”

“Sir, I humbly beg you to stop what you’re planning. You’ve seen what the Demon did in the War of Unification. His power has only grown stronger. His revenge will be beyond what you can imagine.”

The Premier said, “I’m not going to kill you for the traitor you are because of your contributions to the state. You have been obsessed by this Demon far too long. His, and your day, is long over. Guard, take the General to a chair and make sure he stays seated and silent.”

A guard came over and escorted Huang to a chair next to the wall away from the monitors. The President said, “What was that about?”

“He was warning me not to attack your country.” The Premier paused and said, “Have you ever heard anything about a White Demon?”

The President thought a moment and said, “No, I don’t believe I have.” The President looked over at the old man and then turned back to the Premier, “Have you decided on the second city to follow Washington?”

The Premier looked at a Guard and nodded. The guard pulled a handgun and pointed it at the President. “Please take a seat. I’m going to allow you to witness what’s happening because of the great help you’ve given us.”

The President looked frightened, “What do you mean. You’ve agreed to hit two cities and call for our surrender.”

The Premier smiled, “Things change. Sit down and observe. You’ll have a great seat for what’s going to happen.”

• • •

The Defense Center under Cheyenne Mountain suddenly had major alarms go off. The Air Force General in charge yelled, “What’s going on?”

“Sir, we have hundreds of ICBMs lifting from China headed our way. Satellites confirm they are carrying nuclear payloads.”

“Get the silos online. Target their birds. Contact the Bomber Squadrons and get them off the ground.”

“Sir, the Bombers report that their bombs are not responding to their targeting programs. The silos also report the missiles are not accepting any targeting coordinates.”

“WHAT’S GOING ON!!!”

“Sir, all of our nuclear warheads are infected with a virus that has wiped out their storage capacity. We’re defenseless. Even the anti-missile system is not accepting uploads.”

The General looked back at the monitor and saw the missiles leaving China reach their apogee and turn toward targets in the United States. The President had caused the virus. It was the only way to have infected every system and he was in China. He cursed him until the hardened warhead hit Cheyenne Mountain and vaporized the facility.

• • •

Twelve million people in New York were going about their daily activities when a light blinded most of them. The blast that followed blew down the skyscrapers and leveled the city. The entire island was in flames and the shock wave rolled over the shores and decimated the boroughs surrounding the city. The ones that managed to survive the blast emerged into a wasteland only to discover they were already dead from radiation poisoning. Less than twenty thousand managed to live after the blast and two thirds of them died of starvation.

Washington D.C. was hit with one of the largest payloads and no one within fifteen miles of the blast center survived. The President had called for a special session of Congress to deal with a new trade treaty with China and the elected government of the United States died with Washington.

Many of the nuclear blasts overlapped in the Northeast and the deaths were beyond imagination.

The incoming missiles moved down the east and west coasts and around the Gulf of Mexico. Every major city was blasted into rubble. The few that survived ended up fighting for what little food remained. The United States ceased to exist.

• • •

The President watched as every major city on the east and west coast was hit by a massive nuclear explosion. He was forced to watch as Washington, New York, Boston, Charlotte, Richmond, Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Dallas, and Chicago went up in a nuclear holocaust. The west coast of the United States was on fire and every major city was hit by an air blast from a nuclear missile. He watched in horror and said, “You promised not to do this.”

The Premier smiled, “One of the rules of war is that it is important to mislead your enemy.”

The President turned to Premier and said, “Why!”

The Premier shrugged, “We are not bombing the new oil fields you discovered for us. If we had allowed you to start using them, you would have regained your absolute power over the world. We could not allow that to happen. You were easily controlled when you were in so much debt to us. The oil would have removed the power we had over you.”

“But you could have taken the country without destroying it.”

“Do you have any idea how many of your citizens own firearms? Our best guess is more than two hundred million. We’ve learned that fighting a guerilla war is not something we would ever want to do again. The few that remain after the destruction will be easily eliminated and we will take possession of those oil fields. China will be the dominant power from this day forward.”

“You didn’t get our subs.”

“We don’t need to, Mr. President. Their missiles are useless. All you have are submersible cruise ships. They’re worthless thanks to your help.”

The President watched the Premier laugh and knew his name would go down in history with Benedict Arnold. The group in the deep levels of the Chinese facility watched as the nuclear fires scorched the remains of the dead cities.

• • •

The world watched as America burned and they felt fear. The Chinese Premier appeared on most of their news channels saying that the destruction of the United States removed the nation that had dictated their will to all nations. He told them there was cause for celebration and that once he had taken possession of the oil fields, they would have a new endless supply of energy to build their economies. He said the price of oil would become affordable. Everyone knew that was an outright lie but there was no one to challenge them. The world had a new taskmaster and the Chinese didn’t even try to hide their intentions. England knew they would have to face the Chinese soon. They had already received ultimatums about their nuclear arsenal.

• • •

AG looked at Jerry and Tony, “Are we ready?”

“We are. There were about ten thousand that arrived late but they were moved underground before the radiation arrived from the west.”

“What have you done with the bombers?”

“They’ve been moved to a field in Canada and sheltered. They’ll remain under wraps until the radiation level drops.”

“Do we have an idea how long that’s going to take?”

“It’s not as bad as you’d think. The only blast that hit ground was at Cheyenne Mountain. All the others were air blasts which greatly reduce radiation. Dr. Moore has been taking measurements and he thinks it will be safe to go outside within six months here. It will take several years to visit the east or west coasts. I think the Chinese want to take the oil without having to wait too long.”

• • •

AG looked at his son and felt his pride. Tony sat at his command station and said, “The changes have been done. We’re ready to go as soon as Jerry’s Dragons go operational.”

AG looked at Jerry and he shrugged, “We’re ready. This should be done before they can bring in any targets we’ve not chosen.”

AG looked at General Bingham, “What’s the status on the Chinese Air Force and Fleet?”

“They’re both on the move. There are about six thousand transports and fighters headed our way. They’ll be coming in over Alaska to avoid radiation on the west coast. Their naval fleet is in the central pacific.”

AG looked at Cynthia and Lydia and said, “You need to start setting up facilities to help those that survive the radiation.” They nodded and left the room. AG looked at Jerry’s son, Jeremy, and said, “Are the satellites up and running?”

“They went live at the completion of the Chinese attack.”

“Patch me through.”

• • •

The Premier was celebrating when suddenly a voice reverberated through the facility, “General Huang, are you present?”

The room became instantly silent. General Huang said, “I am.”

“I counted on you to save your country.”

“I’m sorry, but I failed. They would not listen.”

There was a silence and the Premier yelled, “Where is that voice coming from?”

“I’ve overridden your satellites and I’m coming in from one of your communication satellites. You should have listened to General Huang, Mr. Premier.”

“Who are you?”

“General Huang knew me as the White Demon. My real name is irrelevant. However, there are always consequences to our actions and you are about to experience yours. But first, please allow General Huang to leave your facility and join his family at the helicopter on the roof.”

“Like hell, I will. Shoot that traitor.”

Two guards raised their handguns and both were hit in the center of their foreheads with a bright red beam vaporizing a hole through their skulls. The room froze. “I don’t want to kill everyone in that room before you have the opportunity to see the fallout of your decisions. But if you don’t allow the General to leave alone, you will be the first one to die, Mr. Premier.”

The Premier had tried to determine where the beams had come from and was unable to see anything. He looked at the General and said, “Get out of here.”

The general moved toward the elevator door and just as it opened an official jumped up and ran toward the opening door. He was hit in the back of his head by a red beam and collapsed to the floor. Huang turned around and said, “I’m sorry I failed. Did I ever have a chance of changing their minds?”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t think you would, but before I killed as many as will die today, I had to take every opportunity to stop it.”

“Where should I go?”

“I think you and your family should be safe at the farm where your mother died. It’s a long way from the cities.” Huang lowered his head and entered the elevator.

The Premier was starting to feel nervous. Whoever this was, they thought they could harm China. “Just what do you think you can do to us?”