First Strike

"Just in case you ever have anyone snooping around."

The only things exposed to the outside were air intake or outlet tubes and one other for a Geiger counter, but they were so well disguised Ryan couldn't see them even when his dad told him they were just two feet away. There was also an emergency exit filled with sand and covered to blend in with the terrain above.

"Just open the hatch, let the sand drain out into the shelter, then climb up. When you get to the top, you'll need a knife to punch into the last bit of sand which is going to fall on your head before you see the sky."

"Lovely," Ryan chirped.

"Remember. That's an emergency tunnel. Hopefully we'll walk back out of the exit door when the threat has passed."

Ryan didn't say, "IF it passes." He just nodded and followed his dad back outside.

The sunlight seemed a lot brighter, and he squinted hard for a couple of minutes while his father explained how to find the location and access the shelter. He gave his son the code and the lat/long coordinates, although Ryan knew he'd never forget how to get there or how to get in.

When they got home, Ryan saw Kodie outside working in a flower bed. She waved, and once he was off his bike she hollered over to them.

"Hey! You guys wanna come over for dinner tonight? I could really use the company!"

Steven looked at Ryan who was smiling.

"That sounds great. What time?"

Steven and Kodie each had a second glass of wine and were laughing and talking when dinner ended. Ryan, to no one's surprise cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher.

"You've done a fantastic job raising your son, Steven."

"Thanks, Kodie, but it wasn't me."

He looked at Ryan then said, "That was Anna's doing."

"She was amazing."

"So was your husband," Steven said, as a hush fell over the house.

"Can I do anything else for you?" Ryan asked, ending the silence.

"No. And thank you for taking care of the dishes. You really are an amazing young man," Kodie told him.

Just her smile could cause a visibly embarrassing problem for him, and the way she just looked at him forced him to turn around and pretend be doing something else. She was so good looking that he often found himself fantasizing about her just before he fell asleep or in the shower, a secret he would never share with anyone.

He'd wondered how old she was for some time, and ironically, just as he was wondering again, she asked them if they were coming to her 35th birthday party.

"We wouldn't miss it!" Steven said before asking her when that might be.

"Next month. On the 15th."

Ryan had 'things' under control and went to sit back down but said, "You can't be 35."

"Ahh! Bless you!" she said as she reached out and put a hand on his cheek which caused his problem to return and the cheek to turn a little rosy.

"You really don't look your age, Kodie," Steven told her.

"Hey! You look great, too!" she said encouragingly.

Steven held up a hand as he laughed.

"I'm gonna be 70 years old this October, and I know exactly how I look. Old!"

He nodded at his son then said, "Now this guy. He's got the looks."

"Oh, I know," Kodie said, smiling at Ryan. "If I was just ten...okay, maybe 15 years younger!"

For the first time in years, Ryan outright blushed. It wasn't a total 'flame on' by any means, but his cheeks got much redder as he'd literally just sat there wondering--again--what it would be like to kiss her, and the comment felt like it exposed his inner thoughts to the world.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have had this second glass," she said as she set the empty glass down.

She then asked how their bike ride went, and Steven made a generic comment while Ryan added a bit more detail without saying anything about what he now knew.

"That looks like great fun, but for some reason, I've just never had the bug, you know?" Kodie offered.

"If you ever want to give it a whirl, just let me know," Ryan told her as the redness waned a little.

"Thank you, Ryan, but I don't see that happening However, if the dirt-bike bug ever does bite, you'll be the first to know. I promise. But I really could use your help with something for a couple of days."

"Sure. Anything," he said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic.

"Sorry. It's the wine again. You pretty much do everything for me. You and your dad. I really can't ask."

"Nonsense!" Ryan's always looking for something to do, right?"

"What he said," Ryan chimed in with as he nodded to his father.

"Now I feel guilty, but...thank you. I've had this project I've been wanting to do for weeks, and for some reason I can't get up the gumption to just do it. I'm not even sure I can do it without help."

"Tomorrow's a Monday holiday. I've got the entire day," Ryan told her.

"I can probably pitch in a little, too," Steven added.

"Well, in that case, I'm making dinner for you both again tomorrow. That way, I won't feel quite so guilty!"

They talked for another half hour before Steven said they should probably get out of her hair. That comment gave Ryan a reason to look at Kodie's hair--again--and it was just as beautiful as always. It was so shiny that it reminded him of black silk, if such a thing existed. It was long and dark, and coupled with her blue eyes, it had the same effect on him as he often experienced just thinking about her.

"If only I was ten years older," he thought to himself as they got up to say goodbye.

Maybe it was the wine, but Kodie kissed him on the cheek as she thanked him for coming over and being so helpful as always, but that kiss only intensified what he was feeling, and that night he had the most massive release of pent-up sexual emotion he'd ever experienced as he imagined making love to her.

"Yeah, right," he said as the post-orgasm low hit him almost as hard as the pre-orgasmic high had just moments before.

Ryan was up by 6am, and it was no surprise his dad was already up and on a second cup of coffee.

"Hey. You sleep okay?" his dad asked.

"Like a baby. You?"

"Ha! Yeah, right. I'm thrilled anytime I get six hours. Last night I got...shit. I don't know. Maybe four?"

"You okay?"

"Yep. It's just old age. Our bodies don't work the same. I think I read that we old fogey types don't produce as much melatonin. Whatever it is, sleep is a real premium. But if I need to take a nap today, you'll know why."

"Did Kodie mention what time she wants us to get started?" Ryan asked, again trying to be nonchalant.

"I just assumed she meant whenever we got around to it."

Steven stood up and looked at an angle through a window.

"Her lights are on, so she's up. But I'm thinking that 6:15am might be a wee bit too early."

"Oh, sure. Yeah, I'll mosey on over after breakfast and see what she needs done."

"Give me a holler if it's a big job."

"Will do," his son said as he looked over and saw Kodie standing at the huge glass window in front of the house. She was wearing a robe, but even from as far away as she was, Ryan could make out the shape of her body and felt Mr. Chubby wanting to swell.

He waited until 8am to make his arrival time seem more respectable and was greeted with a cheery good morning and a request to know if he'd like anything to eat.

"No, thanks. I just had something. I'm ready to get to work."

"Ryan. I almost came over this morning to rescind my request. I don't know what I was thinking last night. This job is way too big, and I had no right...."

"Then we should started now, huh?" he said with a smile as he politely cut her off.

"You don't even know what it is."

"It doesn't matter. A neighbor needs a hand, I'm here, I have hands--two of them--and I'm ready to go to work."

She laughed when he held his two hands up and gave in.

"You really are amazing," she said admiringly. "But if you're willing, I'm putting a heat barrier in my attic. It's cool enough now to work up there during the day, and it'll really help when it gets hot again."

"Do you already have the foil?" he asked, knowing exactly what she was doing.

"I do, and why am I not surprised you what I'm doing?" she said with a warm smile.

Kodie showed him where the large stack of foil rolls was along with a ton of staples and a power stapler and two manual staplers along with a box cutter a T-square for cutting pieces from the roll.

"Do you need anything else?" she asked, having never done this before but hearing it was a way to say on air conditioning costs.

"Are you going to be helping?" he asked in a way that made sure he wasn't assuming that she would.

"Oh. I could. Sure. Do you need help?"

"I can do it by myself, but it'll take 3-4 times as long. If I have one other person, we can scream through this because I can roll out sheets of foil the length or width of the roof then work back stapling the foil to the rafters. Otherwise I have to cut smaller sheets, hold them up with my shoulder, grab the gun, and then staple them."

"How embarrassing is that? I ask you to help and don't offer to pitch in myself."

"No worries. I can handle it."

"No. I'll go up with you. Besides, I enjoy your company," she told him, that bright smile he love on her face. "Just let me change into some jeans and a t-shirt and put my hair in a ponytail. Give me five minutes."

"It'll take me 15 to get the material in place, Kodie, so take your time, okay?"

"Ryan Griffin. You are simply the best!" she said, a kind look of gratitude on her beautiful face.

By the time Kodie was ready, Ryan had all of her supplies in one area of the attic then went home and brought back two HDX 1200-Watt Halogen Tripod Work Lights and extension cords to illuminate the workspace. When she saw them she felt embarrassed.

"I guess I didn't think of that," she admitted a little sheepishly. "I had a flashlight in mind. Silly me."

"No problem. It's a team effort, right?" Ryan told her optimistically.

"Thank goodness. I'd never get this done alone!"

With the lights in place, the dark attic was brightly lit up. Ryan asked Kodie to hold the roll of foil through which he'd run a long piece of PVC pipe. This way, he could unroll a 20, 30, or 50ft sheet of it and keep it nice and smooth. When he got to the stopping point, she'd cut the sheet then grab the manual stapler and tack up her end. He'd then go back to where she was and staple more sheeting on each rafter keeping it nice and smooth as he went.

They had the easy part done in a couple of hours. The "fun" began when they had measure and cut smaller pieces to fit in corners and other odd spaces. Ryan would measure several, calling out the dimensions. Kodi would then cut them, stack them, and bring them to him. While Ryan stapled them in place she'd go back to the small attic work area and get ready for the next batch.

By lunchtime they had nearly 70% of the attic done, a task that would have taken Ryan working alone at least a day and a half.

Kodie made sandwiches for them, and served them with some iced tea. They were talking and laughing when Steven rang the doorbell and showed himself in.

"Knock, knock!" he said as he headed toward the kitchen.

"Steven! You're just in time," Kodie called out. "Can I set a plate for you?"

"Oh, no. I uh, I just had to grab the good-lookin' Griffin for a minute. I promise I'll bring him right back."

Thinking nothing about it, she laughed as she said, "You promise?" He's worth his weight in gold!"

Steven laughed, but she wondered if everything was okay based on the way he looked at her. It was probably just her imagination, and as he promised, Ryan was back in a minute or so.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure. Everything is just fine," he told her doing his best to be as convincing as he could.

His father's tone was somber as he told his son he was flying to Washington DC.

"Dad. How serious is this?" Ryan quietly asked on the front porch.

"Serious enough that a government helicopter will be landing to pick me up in an hour. Just tell Kodie it's coming to their heliport and that's routine business involving my old job. When it lands I'll fly in the backseat of a two-seat Marine F-18D to Andrews Air Force base then meet up with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and other high-level defense officials and State Department types."

"Can you give me a hint? I know you can't tell me the details, but big-picture wise, what's going on?"

"Well, coincidentally...it's Taiwan," his father said very soberly. "We expect China to move on the island nation with two weeks. Maybe less. I have a ton of expertise, and evidently my 'sage advice' has been solicited by none other than the president himself."

"Shit. How serious is this?"

"I don't know, son. Anything from a possible false alarm to...WWIII. Just make sure Kodie isn't alarmed, okay."

Shellshocked, Ryan needed a few seconds to think.

"I can do that. Don't worry about us."

"Good man. I'll call whenever I get a chance. I probably won't be able to say much, but I'll let you know as much as I can."

Ryan hugged his dad and told him to be safe.

"I'm not the one we need to be concerned about," he replied, leaving the 'who' to his discretion. Kodie. The people of Taiwan. The entire Pacific region. Earth?

When he came back inside, Kodie cheerfully asked if everything was okay.

"Sure. Dad has an old friend--some admiral I don't know--who needs his advice on some issue about an aircraft carrier or something. He's actually getting picked by a helo, and I guess that means we'll be hearing it arrive pretty soon."

"Oh, my. That sounds serious."

"No. Just routine. But getting from Lander to Washington DC without the military can take a couple of days, and that's IF there aren't flight delays."

Kodie accepted his explanation and asked if he was going to finish eating.

"You know what? I think I'll just back upstairs and get to it. This was great, though. Thank you."

"Sure," she said, sensing something really was wrong, but she couldn't read Ryan well enough to be sure. For the first time ever he didn't offer to help with the dishes, so Kodie also got up, and after brushing her teeth, joined him in the attic.

An hour later she forgot all about her concerns as Ryan was in a particularly good mood. She was helping him hold up pieces of foil, and several times they ended up withe their arms overlapped as he stapled a corner while she held everything else in place.

During one of those times he said something about being a contortionist which made Kodie laugh just as he was reaching across her face. When she did he turned his and that left them less than an inch apart. She could see his eyes and feel his breath on her face, and for the first time she had a feeling she'd never had before and couldn't explain. It embarrassed her because she knew he was just 19, and did her best to put it out of her mind.

When Ryan didn't look away she had to and lowered her eyes until she heard two staples go in. Once in place, she lowered her arms, and her head to avoid looking at him, and asked what was next. It took her a few minutes before she could look at him again, and when she did, he seemed unaware that anything had happened, and that allowed her to forget about the 'moment' that evidently only she had 'shared' with him.

By 4:30 the attic was done. As they stood there admiring their handiwork, Kodie thought it looked like a giant Fun House with a mirrored ceiling.

"Wow. That's incredible!" she told Ryan as they inspected their work from left to right in a semicircle from one corner all the way around. The foil was neat and smooth and the whole thing looked amazing.

"Teamwork, right?" he said as he turned toward her and smiled.

That same feeling hit her again, and she smiled back then turned away as quickly as she could.

"You hungry yet?" she asked, hoping to shake whatever this feeling was that had just come back. "You only had half a sandwich for lunch."

"I'm gettin' there. You?"

"Soon," she said as they started putting things away.

"How about you let me take you out for dinner somewhere?" Ryan asked, surprising her so much she gave him a 'bug-eyed' look.

"No? Okay," a now-embarrassed 19-year old said, believing she knew why he was asking.

Kodie never thought that at all. She was still dealing with the odd feelings she'd been having, and this only made things worse.

"No. I'm not saying 'no', Ryan. I...let me shower and think about it, and I'll give you a call. Is that okay?"

"Sure. Either way," he said as nonchalantly as he could but feeling a sense of deep disappointment.

Beijing. A Secure Briefing Room in President Xi's Private Residence

"Vladimir Vladimirovich," the president of China began. "It is an honor to welcome you. I have asked you to join us in order to further seek your perspective on several issues as I proudly announce that The People's Republic of China will begin the reunification of the Island of Taiwan two days from now."

Putin's intelligence chief knew this was happening and had briefed him, but the Russian president pretended it was news to him as Xi continued.

"Just as Ukraine belongs to Russia, Taiwan is the sovereign territory of the PRC. We have tolerated its rebellion for nearly 75 years. The time has come to put down the rebellion and return Taiwan to the fold. We have watched your operations in your Ukrainian Territory with great interest. We have learned much. We would, however, like to know your most valuable lessons learned in the unlikely case we have overlooked some small detail."

Putin provided his thoughts, Xi thanked him, then asked, "What about America? What does your intelligence indicate it will it do?"

Putin had given this much thought and gave his assessment.

"America has sold huge stockpiles of its most sophisticated weapons to the puppet government in Ukraine. It has also gotten itself deeply involved in the Palestinian's liberation movement against the Zionists. It has three carrier battle groups committed and two US Army divisions in Israel since Hezbollah joined Hamas one week ago today. I believe the Americans will bluster--as usual...."

After the translation there was some polite laughter.

"And it will issue grave threats. However, it will not get deeply involved with either of our countries because it can't."

"Vladimir Vladimirovich. I was referring to the US reaction to a combined Chinese-Russian nuclear strike on America."

Putin was a professional spy from his earliest days. As shocking as this revelation was he showed no emotion.

"Will the Americans retaliate? If so, how strongly?" Xi calmly asked.

"For four years America was under the leadership of an egomaniacal clown. Now it is lead by a senile idiot...."

There was more and louder laughter.

"I'm sure you know there is no way to be sure that the US will not launch an all-out retaliatory strike. However, we have enough hyper-sonic nuclear weapons between us to seriously cripple their ability to retaliate in a massive first strike. We will lose several cities and military bases, but we can degrade their abilities to a point where a combined strike will destroy the Imperialists."

"I agree," Xi said just as calmly. "I will inform you before we begin our efforts with the renegades in Taiwan, and I will ask you to discuss my proposal vis-a-vie the Americans with your top officials."

"Да, будет сделано," Putin replied. "It will be done."

White House Situation Room, Washington, DC

The US president introduced the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after some opening remarks, and the four-star general began by welcoming the members of the cabinet, select members of congress, and other senior military and civilian attendees.

"And a special welcome to an old friend, retired Admiral Steve Griffen."

There was no applause. The mood was solemn and somber as the Chairman explained what US intelligence knew.