Epilogue
Nothing moves as quietly as a ship. An automobile moving at this speed, a fraction below thirty miles per hour, made noise one could hear for hundreds of yards on a silent night, but for a ship it was the high-frequency swish of steel cutting through the calm sea and that didn't carry very far at all. Those aboard could feel the vibrations of the engine, or hear the deep sucking breath of the turbine engine, but that was all, and those sounds scarcely carried a hundred yards across the water at night. Just the swish, and behind every ship was a forming wake, a ghostly shade of green in the water from the tiny organisms upset by pressures of the logical disturbance.
To those on the ships it seemed hellishly bright. On every bridge of the large task force, the lights were turned down, so that their night vision wouldn't be compromised. Navigation lights were turned off, a rules-of-the-road violation in these international waters. Lookouts used conventional binoculars and light-amplification gear to scan forward. The formation as just now turning by orders of the Joint Chiefs of Staff themselves towards the eastern Japanese Coast and to within missile range of Hong Kong, China.
In every combat information center, people hovered over scopes and charts, talking in whispers lest they somehow be heard. Those who smoked wished they could be in the antiseptic spaces, and those who quit now wondered why they had in the first place. Something about a health hazard, they remembered as they contemplated surface-to-surface missiles mounted in emplacements about fifteen thousand yards away, each of them with a ton of explosives right behind the seeker head. They were ready to strike first.
"Coming left, new course two-eight-seven," The Captain of the lead ship the USS Anzio ordered to his bridge crew, "Right to the China-Japan border."
They were ready. All they had to wait for was President Eggert's order.
If things went as they expected, the first attack would be a moderate one. The People's Republic of China had a massive supply of air to air missiles, so CIA observations had said. Made and imported from several Russian Companies and with backing by the Russian Government. However, the one problem would be targeting the missiles for the American Forces and the ships that the Russians were sending. China had always been a massively secret country and detailed maps of their defenses had never made it into the hands of the Americans. The Russians however had a great deal of information, more than the American's by far and they were more than happy to share it with them.
President Eggert had called the Russian President who had been in session with his war council and informed them in China's part in attempting to destroy their economies. She had sent the information and the details on Project Iron to them and the Russian Federation formally declared war on the People's Republic of China thirty minutes later. It served to fuel the stereotype that the Russians took things more personally then the Americans. But it was decided that they would go after the known missile stockpiles and the troop barracks before they began to attack the major cities. All indications suggest that the Americans would join the Russians, but they still hadn't responded to President Eggert's ultimatum. They knew that if they didn't surrender those who had sponsored Project Iron and the Attack on Washington DC, they'd suffer the consequences.
The Superpower of the World and another former superpower would unleash their militaries on them and despite the fact that China was the most populated country on earth they had a comparably weak army when matched up against the forces of America and Russia. President Eggert wanted to avoid war, she didn't want it, but she would do it if she had to. If they didn't give them the people who wanted it, she'd take it out on all of them. Being in constant contact with Admiral Thomas Rice, the Commander of Pacific Forces, she wanted to give him the order as quickly as possible. But she was still waiting for that response, that response and Bernard Waters Information and she would cement the war.
2 Hours Later …
Rose Long was unbelievably pissed off.
She wanted to arrest Bernard Waters, she was fully prepared to drive down to Norfolk and arrest him at the airport herself. But she had to admit that she was not in the move to go on a drive, so her prissiness gradually wore off. In the CIA, she was known for getting her information when she wanted it, just as in the Huntsclan. That's why they were bringing him directly to her. This man was going to get it. Sure, Rebecca had ordered the hit on her children and had made her life a living hell for several hours, but Bernard was the man who gave her the resources. The Blackhawk Helicopter that was brining Bernard Waters to them was just passing John Kennedy Airport, which meant that he'd be there in a matter of minutes.
Standing on the roof of the Federal Building, Rose, Terry, Johnny and Allen huddled around each other. Rose was the first one to speak and she rubbed her hands together in an attempt to get her hands warm, "I swear to god, if he holds out on me and makes me break him, I'll cut his throat and there's nothing any of you can do to stop me."
"I'd have to arrest you then Rose," Allen answered back smartly, "Frankly because the President ordered you to keep him alive and get the information."
Rose stuck her tongue out at him, "I know that, I will get him to talk. You can bet your ass on that, what's the status with the China Situation?"
"The Pacific Fleet is on the Japanese-Chinese Water Border," Allen said, looking in the direction of JFK, "However, the Russians have already begun their invasion. Oh, they were beyond pissed off. The Russians and the Chinese haven't been fond of each other since the sixties, but this has pushed them into downright hate. We're simply waiting for Mr. Waters here and the Chinese response to the President's demands. For all intents and purposes, we're at the gates, we're just waiting for the confirmation to break them down, and it's as simple as that."
Johnny was the next one to speak up, "And what was the demand?"
"To put it simply," Terry responded with a grin, "Give us the people who did this or we'll fuck you up."
Rose laughed and turned to Johnny, "The Chinese don't extradite criminals to foreign countries, and I don't think they'll give us who we want. War is inevitable."
"Have you heard anything from your husband?" Allen asked, because that had been on his mind for hours now and he knew that she knew that this was an order to update him.
"He gave me a call about thirty minutes ago," Rose said putting a hand up, "They've called a special late night session for him. He'll give me an update when it's over."
Allen nodded and looked back in the direction of the airport. Dawn had come and the landscape was bathed in the light of the early morning sun, and any moment now, news would spread like wildfire to the people of the world of what had happened last night. It would be just like September 11th and the pressure on them would be enormous. Fondling the retracted knife in her pocket, she narrowed her eyes and looked up at the approaching Military Helicopter. She would get the information out of him. Everything depended on it.
Looking back to Allen she nodded and walked further to the Helipad. Reaching into her pocket, she gripped the knife harder and she was just jumping to open it and hold it to the son of bitch's throat. Her hair fluttered in the wind as the helicopter landed and she changed her stance into a tough one. And as quick as she imagined this moment in her mind, the helicopter touched down and the panel doors slid open to reveal him. Two CIA Agents picked him up and escorted him off of the helicopter. Nodding to them, they unlocked his handcuffs and walked back to the helicopter. To leave him to his fate, she was known all over the organization for her interrogation. Smiling wickedly, she put her hands on her hips, "Bernard Waters?"
Bernard nodded meekly.
Rose smiled, and grabbed his arm. Ignoring the strange looks from her co-workers and son-in-law, she walked him to the very edge of the building, spun him around and in a quick motion, pressed the eject button on her knife, held it tightly against his throat and held him over the side of the tall building. Rose glared menacingly at him, "Tell me everything you know about what you've done today, what you were planning to do, you involvement in the murder of the President and half of congress, and what the Chinese had to do with all of it?"
This had been perhaps the most wonderful thing that she had ever experienced. Even if this was just simply a hallucination or if she was truly talking to the spirit, or ghost of her dead husband, it was great. She had experienced a recurring dream for 46 straight years. It was of the night that Nicolas had been confirmed dead, in the dream she would wake up and find Nicolas sleeping next to her. It was so gratifying to her that she believed that it was real, every time she would attempt to hug him. Then she woke up, and for a split second she believed he was still alive. Then it hit her that he was really dead. And then she cried herself back to sleep. It happened every month and it exposed her weakness and it always upset her.
Bu she was actually hugging him this time, so if this was a dream, it was one of the best dreams she had ever had in her life. Pulling back from him, she looked down at herself and she found that she looked like she did when she was in her twenties. Her hair was back to its deep black hue and beauty, everything on her body was firm and where it should have been. For a moment she was so shocked that she almost laughed. Then reaching up, she felt her face and it wasn't wrinkled, "God damn, I look great. Is this really happening? Or am I dreaming?"
"This is really happening," Nicolas said warmly at her before leaning down and capturing her in a deep kiss.
Arching herself up into him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and when he pulled away, she flashed him that beautiful, winning smile, "I've missed doing that."
"I've have too," Nicolas grinned and snaked one hand down her back and grabbed her behind.
Jackie jumped and swatted his hand away before looking back to him and scowling playfully, "Nick!"
"Sorry baby, gotta throw me a bone here, I've been dead for 46 years," He reached forward and grasped her chin tenderly before kissing her again, "Let's take a walk."
DJ shut the door to the apartment after he was sure that Marissa was in and grimaced at the sights all over the place. The blood that stained the walls, from when his father had literally pinned the hitman to the wall with his claws, the bullet holes and most notably, his sister's blood that had pooled and dyed on the kitchen floor. Hanging his car keys on the hook near the door, he walked into the living room and collapsed into the untouched lounge chair. It had been one hell of a day, opening his eyes. He saw his gun sitting on the table that was right in front of the couch. His mother had told him that he couldn't use it anymore. She had also added that she expected to see it on her dresser when she got home.
Sighing, he pulled himself up from the chair and walked forward to pick it up and marched back into the hall. Passing the bathroom, the sound of the shower caught his ear. He turned and looked at the bathroom door. Why was Marissa in there? He had told her to go lie down on his bed and get some sleep, knocking on the door, he was puzzled, "Marissa, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine!" She shouted, but by no means did she sound okay. DJ knew her very well and he knew that she wasn't doing okay.
Stepping away from the door, he walked down the hall and went into his parent's bedroom. Flipping the lights on, he looked around the room, quickly he set the gun on his mother's side of the dresser and walked out. He cared about Marissa, hell he loved Marissa. Arriving at the bathroom door, he turned the knob and thanked god that it was unlocked. Taking a deep breath in, he opened the door and he saw an image that shattered his heart. Marissa was sitting in the shower, her clothes still on and in a fetal position with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her hair was soaked and draped around her shoulders and she wore this blank look. Sighing, DJ shut the door behind him and walked forward, "Marissa?"
Marissa jumped and looked up at him, "DJ! What are you doing in here?"
"Well, I live here," He tried to lower the tension of the situation with a little humor, his mother's mouth is what his father called it, "You've got to admit that this is a little odd."
"Fuck you DJ! I'm upset, I'm tired, and I'm going out of my mind with worry, what the hell else can you expect?" She stopped and buried her face in her arms to sob.
Frowning, DJ walked up and turned the showerhead off, before turning over and sitting down next to her in the bathtub. He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into her chest. The movement was graciously accepted and Marissa buried her face in his chest, "No matter what happens Rissa, you still have me, and trust me, everything will work out."
Thank goodness that Fu had been up or else he never would have gotten there.
Ever since his grandfather had died, he hated coming back here and that's why he rarely did. Padding down the Anti-Chamber, he was fired up. He had to pull a lot of strings to get this meeting and that's only because he had made a close friend in Pro-Tempore Sabrina Nebroshka. Gripping the folder tighter, he nodded to the two Dragon guards that pushed the door into the main chamber open and took in the sight. At their long rectangular table, all but the Pro Tempore herself looked down on him with a stone like anger. Fuck them, he didn't like being her either, but his wife had asked him and she had made a very valid point as well. They would be put at risk by a war between the United States and China.
"General Long," Pro Tempore Nebroshka smiled at him, albeit a forced smile. She didn't like to be woken up.
"Madam Pro Tempore," He nodded to the council, "Members of the Council, I'm very sorry to wake you up this late, but it's urgent and you need to make a decision."
Sabrina's eyes widened, "Well if this has alarmed you, then it is certainly worth taking a look at, what is the issue?"
"A war," Jakes said glumly, "A war between the United States of America and the Chinese, it's going to happen and you need to be warned and possibly enter it."
A slight laugh came from the council, including Nebroshka herself, "General Long, are you suggesting that we reveal ourselves to the Humans?"
"That's cat's out of bag with the American's they know about us," Jake shot back, "That's why I'm here, they want you to enter this war on their side and to drive the point home, there is a possibility of a Nuclear Exchange between China and the United States and guess who is the middle of it, yes …you. Not even the Diamond of Draco can stop a nuclear explosion you know that just as well as I do. The Chinese murdered the American President a few hours ago. You know that is an act of war, now think about your interests here, can you really-…"
Sabrina raised her hand, "Nuclear Weapons? And you said that the US Government asked you to come here?"
Jake nodded and held up the folder, "Here's the proof, if you want it."
She held out a hand and beckoned him, "Let us review this, we'll deliberate, you're asking for something very dangerous Jacob and we need to think about it long and hard."
She didn't know how they found her, but they did and they told her that a plane was ready to take her to New York. Rose had done as she promised, she could have leaped. Now she didn't have to put Rebecca and Daniel out of her mind. She could focus on them and there wasn't a place that they could hide. She was very good a tracking her prey down and slaying them. If they had made it to Mexico, she would go, step by step to find them. Griping her duffel bag tighter, she set it in front of her seat and quickly sat down and buckled herself in. It was a cargo plane, yes, but the pilot said that he was the only plane going to JFK and she'd have to ride shotgun. That was okay, as long as she was closer to her prey.
And she would find her prey whatever it would take. She would find them and make them pay for nearly killing her mother and her daughter in-law.
They had fixed her hand and had done a pretty good job on it. It was now stitched up and she was now on a couple of painkillers. With some sleep, she'd be able to get over it. That's why she and Daniel and rented a room at a Ramada just outside of Philadelphia and just down the road from the place where she had gotten her hands fixed up. She knew that she was being careless, that she had left a paper trail, but she didn't care at the moment. She had never been so tired and her life and all she wanted to do was to get some sleep and forget that the past 24 hours had happened. Little did she know that the desk attendant was on the phone with the police, reporting to them that two criminals were staying in a room, these two criminals were wanted by the government and the APB came from the CIA. She also didn't know that she was leaving herself open, open for Erin Hutchinson to find her, easily.
"Alright," The lights to the crib abruptly turned on and awoke all of the Greens, "As of this moment, the protective order that binds you all to us is voided. The man who threatened your lives is captured and is currently being interrogated. You are free to go, but be aware that if we need you and you don't come to us, we will come to you and bring you to us."
Viviane, Peter, Lillian, Jackson, Robert, Bobby and Caroline pushed themselves off of their bunk beds and stared at the CIA Agent with anger. They had just made it to sleep, after they day that they had, they all thought that they'd never get back to sleep, but he came in and woke them up. The CIA Agent stared right back at them and motioned for the elevator, "The Elevator will take you directly back to the lobby, and before you go, check with the desk, Agent Long left a message for you all. She also told me to tell you that she's sorry she couldn't come down here and tell you all this herself. You have thirty minutes to vacate the building or you'll be arrested for trespassing on government property, have a nice day."
And without another word, he turned and walked back onto the elevator. When it closed, Viviane sneered at the closed elevator doors, "Your tax dollars at work ladies and gentlemen."
"Madam President," Her Interterm Chief of Staff, Carmen Hollingsworth said, walking into the Oval Office, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Chinese just sent their response."
President Eggert had been meeting with the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She nodded to them and looked back to her aide. She knew that her aide was waiting for her to excuse them. But she was in no mood, she had a lot on her plate and she was extremely aggravated by recent events, "Carmen, this is Secretary James, and the Joint Chiefs. We've been discussing our plan of action if the Chinese don't accept our demands. They'll be running this just as much as I will if they turn it down, SO IF ANYTHING, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT AND THE NEED TO HEAR THE DAMN RESPONSE! I HAVE HAD ONE HELL OF A DAY AND I AM IN NO MOOD TO HAVE MY ASS KISSED BECAUSE I'M THE PRESIDENT!"
Carmen looked down and cleared her throat, "To the People of the United States of America: We cordially decline and we have taken this threat as an act of war, yes, we were involved and no we will not surrender our Legislators to be executed in your American Prisons. And we will take any movements near our borders as an act of war on part of the United States…"
Jennie's lip twitched in anger and she looked back to the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary of Defense, "Well …there you have it, they admit to it. That's surprising, give the order."
"Contact the networks," She looked back up to Carmen, "I'll be addressing the American People as soon as they cameras are ready."
She was about to bring her country into war, there was not another moment in her life that ever felt so surreal. She almost didn't want to do it, but when she turned in her chair and looked out the window, she saw the cloud of smoke that was still over the Capitol Building. She thought of the people that had been taken out. Her friend, the President, The Vice President and the Speaker, not to mention the 266 Members of Congress, they all had families. People all over the country had lost a mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, son, daughter and a grandparent in that attack and that was something that she couldn't overlook, not even with her own personal beliefs.
25 Minutes Later …
The camera stilled on her and she felt her political personality take hold as perhaps every American in the world and most countries on Earth tuned in to hear her. Folding her hands together, she laid them out on the desk and swallowed the frog in her throat. She saw the camera operator give her a thumbs up and she nodded, "My Fellow Americans, today when you woke up, you expected to have your sense of security that feels like it is a given as an American. You woke up, had your shower, ate your breakfast and prepared for your day. But then you decided to pick up a newspaper or turn on the television and you saw the images of what happened here in the capitol last night. And you lost that sense of security."
Half way across the world, fighter jets were being launched from the American Air Craft Carriers. Loaded with Missiles and bombs, Hong Kong was their first target and hopefully that's where they'd meet the Russians if their invasion from the north was successful, "That is not acceptable, and as your new President it is my responsibility to keep you safe and the foundations of our nation safe. That is why I've had every single our law Enforcement and Intelligence Agencies on this from the very moment it happened. We have uncovered undisputable evidence that the People's Republic of China was ultimately responsible for the death of so many Americans and of the barbarous murder of our sitting President."
American Destroyers that had been secretly traveling towards Hong Kong, under the radar, since DEFCON 1 had been declared were firing on ports, "When this was uncovered I issued an ultimatum to them, surrender the people who sponsored this attack to us within 24 hours, or suffer the consequences. They've decided to decline and they are paying for it as I speak."
"As of this moment, on my orders, the Armed Forces of the United States began bombing and firing upon major costal Chinese cities in collaboration with the Russian Federation that officially declared war on the People's Republic of China," Her expression tightened and she began to look more intimidating, "I guarantee you, I give you my word, that everything that the Chinese took from you this morning, every sense of security and ever person they took from you will be taken back and repaid. As Commander and Chief of the United States, I formally acknowledge that this country, that we as a people, are at war with the People's Republic of China. God Bless You, God Bless the Victims of Yesterday and God bless the United States of America. We are at a crossroads in our history and that phrase has no greater meaning then it does today, after all that has happened. Have a good day."
Authors Note: I know this is shorter then every Epilogue that I've written, but there's a point to its open ended-ness. It's supposed to lure you back for the last story. It'll take place about ten hours after this one. Everything that was introduced in this story will be resolved and some of the things that I didn't properly get too at the end of Remnant will be explained. I hope you'll read it. And I hope you enjoyed this installment! Please leave me a review!