First Strike

"We expect one or both of two things within the next 96 hours," he began.

"The first is no surprise. The only question was when China would move against Taiwan. That question has been answered. Soon. Very soon. Possibly within two days. Four at the most. The more concerning issue for us is...."

He looked around the room then said, "A potential nuclear first strike on the United States."

There were a few gasps followed by some loud whispers.

"Please!" the Chairman said, holding up his hands for quiet.

"I'll turn this briefing over to the Director of Homeland Security who will be followed by the CIA."

The final briefing concluded just after midnight, and an exhausted Steve Griffen headed directly to his hotel room to catch a few hours of sleep before the next set of briefings at 8am. With DC being ahead of Wyoming, and briefings going so late, Steven didn't bother calling home until around 10am the next morning during a short break.

"Dad. Are you okay?"

"Me? Hell, yeah. I'm fine."

"What's goin' on?" his son asked with a hint of trepidation.

"I can't tell you over the phone, but I want you to be ready on a moment's notice to get to our...special place."

"Dad. What are you saying?"

"Ryan. Listen to me. I just said it. I just told you everything I can possibly tell you."

"When are you coming home?"

"A week? Maybe. I'm not sure."

He wanted to tell his son, "Possibly never," but he wasn't going to burden him unnecessarily as there was nothing he could do to prevent whatever was going to happen. If it was a false alarm, so be it. If the worst case scenario unfolded, he'd already told his son what to do, and it was the only thing he could do.

"Okay, Dad."

"You'll be fine. You're a grown man, Ryan. Just be prepared. For...anything."

"I will. And Dad? I love you."

The grizzled old admiral teared up but kept his voice steady.

"I love you, too, Ryan."

Knowing he might never speak to his son again, his wife now dead, Steven Griffin realized all he could do was offer the best advice he could muster and...hope...as this was far beyond his control. Even if he'd made that fourth star and had an even larger command, he couldn't stop Russia or China from doing anything. So with that in mind, he got ready to attend the next set of briefings by laying out a fresh shirt and a tie, something he'd always hated and now resented, being laying down.

Lander, Wyoming. Later that same day.

After the initial shock faded enough that Ryan could think, his first concern was Kodie. He couldn't tell her anything, but he could get himself prepared, and set things aside for both her and himself that he could throw in a backpack.

He went out to the garage and topped off both dirt bike tanks. He checked the helmets and got out a pair of his mom's old gloves for Kodie then sat down and tried to create a mental checklist of things he needed to do. Once done he'd begin working on them in order of priority and never be more than an arm's reach from his phone or further from Kodie than his house.

She'd called back after the heat barrier was in and said she'd love to go to dinner with him. It wasn't a date, but in Ryan's mind it may as well have been. She looked so beautiful to him, and every word she spoke was interesting and important. He'd been on a lot of dates for someone who was 19, but he'd never been 'in love' before. But after spending just two hours across from this beautiful, older woman, he couldn't imagine ever going out with anyone else. He was a realist, but he allowed himself this one fantasy as he stared at her beautiful face that was framed by her gorgeous hair.

After his father's phone call, he knew might well never go out again--with anyone--but not by virtue of his on choosing but rather by fate. With that in mind he kept a close eye on her house the entire day just in case she got in her car. He wasn't sure how he could keep her from leaving, but he was scared to death to let her go.

To his great relief, she never even went outside except to water the plants in the front of her house. When she did, she saw him and waved.

"I had a wonderful time last night, Ryan!"

"Me, too! Maybe we can do that again sometime!" he called back in a way that made it seem like he knew that would never happen.

After their 'date', Kodie was dealing with even more intense feelings, and wondered whether or not he was just being polite. Or was she perhaps hoping that he was only being polite?

"Sure. Anytime!" she called back with a laugh to make it seem like she knew that just neighborly banter.

"Not gonna happen," Ryan told himself as she grabbed the hose and got busy. "For one of two reasons."

The first was just the impossibility of the situation. Him: 19. Her: 35. End of story.

The second was no longer unconscionable. It was still scary as hell, but it was now possible. A nuclear war.

That night Ryan slept by the front window in a such a way he could see Kodie's house and garage. He was normally a very sound sleeper, but he almost slept with one eye open as his senses were attuned to any sound from the outside--or his phone.

Unable to sleep he brought his laptop out and did a search for "nuclear strike time from launch to detonation from Russia to America." What he found made his blood run cold.

For a typical silo launch from Russia, he'd have about 30 minutes. A hypersonic missile could fly undetected by radar and arrive with only a few minutes of warning. So far, no known missile of that type could carry a nuke, but that also played in his mind.

He sat there for some time trying to think about what Russia or China would strike first. He didn't know but knew it wouldn't be Lander, Wyoming. But what about the nearest military base? How much fallout would there be? How long would it take to arrive?

He did some more research and realized that large cities and military bases with nuclear weapons would be at or near the top of the list. Places like Kings Bay, Georgia, or any silo-based facility in the US, and that included F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.

"Holy shit," Ryan muttered as he then thought about the direction the wind tended to blow. It didn't take long to overwhelm his brain and to cause him to set the laptop aside.

He crawled back into the sleeping bag on the couch by the window and crashed so hard he had no idea what time it was when he woke up.

"Kodie!" he thought as he first sat up then jumped up.

He pulled on some sweatpants then went to the porch. When he saw her through the front window he realized he'd been holding his breath and slowly let it out. He took a quick, hot shower and got dressed then checked on her again before getting something to eat.

For the first time since the phone call he thought about his dad, and that caused a lot of anxiety. He only knew his father was somewhere in the DC area--perhaps the #1 target on any nuclear-capable enemy's list. He wanted to send his dad a text but knew from his time on active duty he'd have his phone off, and that meant he could send it without interrupting him and his father could answer when it was convenient.

"Dad. You okay?" was all he wrote.

Two hours later he got a reply, "Yes. I'm fine. Things seem worse, son. I don't mean to frighten you, but it's time to tell our neighbor about our special place, because if what I'm being told is true, it'll be the only safe place on earth for you and her. Don't let her know you're worried. Be friendly. Be factual. Be firm. Try to get her to be ready to go there with you ASAP. And Ryan, be even more vigilant. I love you. Dad."

"Jesus," Ryan whispered as he fought off the tears trying to well up in his eyes.

He put as much stuff as he could in the largest backpack he could find making sure to grab a photo of his mom and dad along with some other keepsakes. He took some deep breaths then walked over to Kodie's house and rang the doorbell.

"Ryan. What a pleasant surprise. Come in. Oh. I haven't seen your dad come back yet. Is he okay?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about."

Kodie stopped smiling...and moving.

"No. Please don't tell me...."

"He's fine. He got called to Washington DC."

"Oh, thank god."

She smiled again then said, "Sounds serious."

"It is."

The look on his face was so serious it frightened her.

"What do you mean? How serious?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Yes. Why? What's going on?"

"Let's sit down and talk, okay?"

Ryan tried to sound and act like his father hoping it would reassure Kodie. He couldn't tell if it was working, but she did sit down.

"I can't tell you that anything I'm going to say is real. Not in the sense that it will happen...imminently. But my dad is convinced it's likely that it will, and he asked me to inform you, so I'm going to tell you everything I know. And none of it is good."

Kodie's eyes were moving wildly back and forth as she looked at his. Her hands were clenched, but she was listening attentively.

Ryan began with his dad's texts which prompted questions. Lots of questions. He did his best to discuss the situation with China and Taiwan but couldn't do it justice.

"Suffice it to say that China is almost certainly getting ready to move on Taiwan. But that's not the worst of it."

The problem was Ryan didn't have enough details to make a solid case. Being factual was impossible when he didn't have facts, so all he could do was speculate.

"You think there's going to be a nuclear war?"

Kodie's hands were trembling, and fear was written all over her face.

"I don't know, but my dad wouldn't be telling me to get you ready to go to our...special place...if it wasn't that serious."

"What...special place?"

He explained the trip on the dirt bikes and what was out there the best he could, and when he finished, Kodie was shaking. He got up and sat next to her and when he saw a tear fall he put an arm around her.

"I think it would be best if we went there. Just in case."

"Now? We have to leave now?" she asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"We have some time, but you should pack as much as you can in a backpack. We can't reach the bunker...the shelter...in a car, so we have to carry what we need with us. Momentos, keepsakes, anything irreplaceable. We have everything else to include clothes for you. For my mom, but...."

"Ryan. I'm scared," she said as she leaned on him.

"It's okay. It's scare--ry. But will you go with me? Please?"

"What if it isn't real? What if it doesn't happen?"

"Then we come home in a day or a week or whatever."

She was having trouble thinking, but she had no real option but to trust him.

"Okay. Give me an hour or so, please?"

"Sure. Take whatever time you need. If I can help just ask."

"Thank you," she said as she lifted her head up. "I guess I should stop crying and start getting busy, huh?"

As she stood up, she put her hand on his and held it for a moment.

"Ryan? I do trust you."

It took Kodie 45 minutes to put together what she needed.

"Okay. What's next?" she asked, trying to sound brave.

"Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?"

"Yes. Actually, I do. My husband had one. A Harley. He taught me how to ride, but I've never ridden a dirt bike."

"Everything's the same except for the sound," Ryan told her. "There's just more...dirt."

They locked both houses then got on the bikes and headed to the shelter.

Kodie realized that were it not for the serious nature of what was going on she might enjoy dirt biking. But it was serious. And when they got to the underground bunker she was once again afraid.

She was in awe even more than Ryan had been when the side of the hill began moving. Inside, she was floored by what she saw.

"I've seen YouTube videos about doomsday bunkers for millionaires, but this is...insane."

It wasn't nearly as swanky as a couple of them she'd seen, but it was so far above the few others she'd seen for 'low end survivalists' after getting interested in the topic a year ago, that it was blowing her mind.

"Let me show you your room," Ryan said once they were locked inside and completely shut out from the outside world.

"Oh, my goodness. This was for your mom. I...I can't stay in here."

"She'd not only want you to, Kodie, she'd insist. And so do I."

"All right. I can't help but think you're right. I just feel like I'm...invading."

Ryan stood in front of her then put his hands under her upper arms.

"You're not. You're welcome here. I'm just glad you're not...out there."

Overwhelmed, Kodie lost it. Ryan held her as she shook and sobbed until she got it all out.

"Okay. I promise to never do that again," she told him a minute or two later as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"There's a bathroom just down the hall. When you're ready, I'll give you the grand tour."

As Kodie got ready Ryan ran through the 'occupancy checklist' his father showed him. It helped to make sure the air quality was high and that the unit was completely sealed off from the outside world. As a part of that he went to the equipment room and found the Geiger counter he was looking for and turned it on. There was always some amount of background radiation, but it was so low as to be irrelevant. The unit worked, and that's all Ryan needed to know.

More important to him was the external Geiger counter that would tell him the radiation level outside of the bunker in the event of a nuclear explosion. There were be an initial reading that would be off the charts. They would be protected from that. The real concern was the fallout and how much radiation would be in and around Lander.

Lastly, for the time being, he sat down at the tiny ham radio station and turned it on. It had an externally mounted antenna that was well hidden and reinforced to withstand high winds and keep out dust. It was pre-tuned to a specific frequency, and he sat and listened for a minute. Hearing nothing he went to look for Kodie. He found her where he left her and asked if she was okay.

"My parents. And my brother. They don't know," she said without looking at him.

"You can go outside and see if you have cell service. Maybe on top of the hill? I've only been here once, and my dad didn't mention it. Just make sure that if you see a blinding light that you don't look in that direction and shut them as tight as you can. And please use your best judgment about what you say."

She understood the concern, and he understood how fast light traveled and that it was probably an exercise in futility for her to try not to look. Still, thinking of Kodie going blind...for life...was a very unpleasant thought.

"Will I be able to get back inside?" she asked as she finally looked at him.

The base at F.E. Warren was 270 miles away, and no shock wave could travel that far let alone harm her. The light and some radiation was reach her in nanoseconds. Being that far away it shouldn't be a serious dose. Or so he hoped.

"Yes. But get back here as soon as you can."

He explained the distance to the most likely target in their area and she listened carefully. When she stood up, Kodie caught him completely by surprise when she suddenly put her arms around his neck and held on tight.

He put his around her waist and tried to tell her it would be all right, even though he knew that if something happened, nothing would ever be all right again for either one of them. When he felt her body jerk ever-so slightly he knew she was crying. And why wouldn't she? This was more than a lot to take in. It was life altering. And not just for her but potentially for hundreds of millions of people--and her loved ones.

"I should go try and make those calls," she said, as she used her hands to wipe away the tears.

She didn't look at Ryan. She just reached into her backpack and grabbed her cell phone, a sophisticated piece of equipment that could be rendered useless for any number of reasons after a first...or subsequent strike.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Kodie said as she went to leave.

She came back seconds later, a sheepish look on her face.

"I don't know how to get out."

"Oh, sorry. That comes with the nickel tour. Come on. I'll show you."

Once she returned after finding there was no service, Ryan showed her everything he could think and answered her questions to the best of his ability.

"So your father knows I'm here?" was one of them.

"Yes. In fact, he was adamant that I insist you come here."

"I'm grateful. I'm still a little afraid, but I'm very thankful."

"And I'm glad you're here, too," he told her, suddenly looking much older and wiser than his 19 years to his older neighbor.

They spent the evening watching satellite TV as the drums of war began to sound outside of the middle east. No one was being specific, but the US had moved two more carrier battle groups near Taiwan with a third and a fourth on their way.

Kodie sat right beside Ryan on a small sofa as they watched, spellbound by their growing concern for themselves, their loved ones, and the entire world.

"I know we're safe here, but all those other people. Hundreds of millions of them in harm's way with no where to go," Kodie mused.

"We can withstand anything but a direct nuclear strike or a bunker buster, and neither of those will happen. But you're right. Virtually everyone else is unprotected if nukes start flying."

She reached for his hand and held it tight as she curled up next to him.

"Aren't you scared?" she asked after he put his arm around her.

"Not for myself. But for my dad? Sure. And while I realize it sounds uncaring, there's not one thing I can do for any other person on earth. I'd rather focus my attention on the things I can influence. Like keeping you...us...safe rather than expend mental energy fretting about things I can't control."

"It's not uncaring, Ryan, and you're right. And I have to say that's an incredibly mature perspective."

"Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?" he asked rather than respond to her compliment.

"No. I'm fine. Just stay with me, okay?"

Kodie lifted her head just enough to look into his eyes and smiled.

"You make me feel safe," she said then kissed him on the cheek.

"I can't imagine being in here...alone," Ryan quietly replied. "I know it stinks being here at all, but...."

"I'm glad we're together, too," she said as she put her other arm around him.

At some point they both drifted off to sleep unaware of the plans being made in faraway places.

Beijing, China. President Xi with his closest advisers

"How certain are we the Russians won't strike us when they learn of the deception?" Xi asked.

His senior military adviser answered.

"The Russians don't want to be annihilated. They will be angry, but they will not use their nuclear arsenal on us."

"Very good. Then we will let them strike America as we simultaneously begin the liberation of Taiwan. America will retaliate against Russia, and we will be left alone to fight a brief-but-fierce conventional battle with the Taiwan rebels and possibly the Americans. They will be dazed from the strikes on their capital and nuclear bases. That will allow our diplomats to place all of the blame on Russia and leave America hospitable enough for us to occupy in a few years from now."

Xi looked around the room then smiled.

"Soon, China will again be one with the Chinese people of Taiwan, Russia will lay in ashes, and the United States will be too weak to respond."

He raised a glass then said, "To victory!"

D-Day. H-Hour.

As planned, China began its invasion of Taiwan at the very moment Russia unleashed a barrage nuclear warheads carried on two SS-18 Satan ICBMs. They would target Washington DC, a nuclear submarine base called Kings Bay, Georgia, Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri which was home to the B2 bomber, and three silo-based nuclear facilities: an Air Force base in Minot, North Dakota, Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, and F.E. Warren in Wyoming. Each would receive one 5-megaton warhead while the US capitol would be struck with one 20-megaton weapon.