CRESCENT MOON RISING

RD FORTH
Chapter 10 Presidential Briefing, The War Room
President Douglass was trying to follow an Air Force Major explain computer hard
ware and microcode viruses when, exasperated, he had to interrupt, “Do I underst
and correctly that the Japanese have encoded or hardwired viruses in damn near e
verything we have bought from them in the last umpteen years? Is that what your
saying?”
The Air Force Major was too startled by President Douglass’s tone and too intimi
dated by his demeanor to do more than shuffle his feet and mutter, “ hmm” and, “
well sir,” until General DeBliss took over.
“Mr. President, you are essentially correct but I don’t know if virus is the rig
ht term for what we have. As you know, a virus is normally associated with compu
ter software and that’s not the case this time. What the sons-a-bitches have app
arently done is insert additional logic and hardware in the lowest level backup
circuits. In some cases they even invented additional backups. The extra hardwar
e functions as a receiver for satellite signals or commands and the virus logic
shuts the damn thing down or worse, causes a self-destruct. None of our testing
showed anything amiss because one: testing of last level backup is
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minimal and two: the slimy fuckers were ingenious with their designs. We can’t g
et their virus-logic out without wrecking the goddamned circuit board and if we
disable the receiver portion we activate some hidden kill switch which renders t
he rest of the board inoperable. And no, we can’t even find the kill switch with
out an electron microscope and about three fucking weeks for each type of circui
t board. Sorry, Mr. President but we are well and truly up the shit creek.”
Horton Timmons, National Security Adviser, jumped in, “The real scope of the dis
aster is that about eighty-plus percent of our weapon systems have Japanese comp
onents. Most of those components are electronic. In our most advanced weapon sys
tems, the number of infected components goes up to a probable ninety-two or thre
e percent. Mr. President, even our nuke warheads are probably infected. Even if
they aren’t, the delivery systems almost certainly are.”
“Well people,” President Douglass said. “Just what the Holy Hell are we supposed
to do, fight Russia, Japan, and the entire Mid-East with handguns and hunting r
ifles? By the way, have any of you snapped to the fact that so far the only thin
gs the Japs are knocking out of the air are missiles? Why not the planes? Why no
t all of our satellites?”
No one said anything until Admiral Bramble offered, “Perhaps they want to save t
hem to use later against someone they haven’t infected. Possibly the Chinese or
even the Russians.”
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General DeBliss added, “You may have something there Thomas. The Japs really don
’t have much of a military themselves and without us to defend them they would b
e easy pickings for either the Chinks or the Russians…unless they walk in and gr
ab our stuff.”
Jimmy McCullum, Secretary of the Navy, spoke up, “What about hand delivery of nu
kes by teams of Navy Seals? Assuming of course the nukes will work.”
DeBliss was steamed. “Where Jimmy? Down-fucking-town Tokyo? A bunch of non-Japan
ese guys in black wetsuits lugging five hundred pound boxes wouldn’t make it off
the beaches!”
“Hold it …everybody!” President Douglass thundered. All I am hearing is that we
are beaten and nothing will work against the enemy. No damn way, people. No damn
way. Now if missiles won’t work and aircraft and nukes probably won’t work if w
e try to use them, what’s left? Invasion troops? Ha, that would take about a yea
r to organize while the Japanese watched every move via satellite and laughed th
eir asses off. Now, tell me something that will work."”
While others were pondering the Presidents words, a message alert flashed on eve
ryone’s notebook computer. The message read, ‘Japanese geosynchronous satellites
now in orbit above following locations: Seattle, Washington; Charleston, South
Carolina and a position approximately mid-way
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between Laramie, Wyoming and Fargo, North Dakota. End Message.’
President Douglass hissed, “I’m still waiting gentlemen, but apparently the Japa
nese are not. They now have continuous look-sees at major sub sites and many of
our missile launch silos ”
Admiral Bramble ventured, “Perhaps there is a way the nukes will work and a deli
very system that can get them to Japan is available.” Fourteen hard pairs of eye
s focused on Thomas T. Bramble, newly appointed Chief of Naval Operations.
“What the hell are you talking about Bramble?” DeBliss challenged.
Douglass held up one hand and said, “General, let the Admiral finish. Explain Th
omas.”
Thomas stood up and started to pace as he spoke, “Gentlemen, the nukes will work
if the satellite signals can’t get to them. Right now we have scores of nukes i
n underground bunkers, shielded bunkers as you well know and hundreds of feet un
derground. What I think will work is this…We bring up several of them with heavy
shielding. The shielding is probably not necessary because the nukes won’t be p
owered up but why take the chance. Then we put the nukes aboard our best, deepes
t diving subs. After the subs are at sea and still submerged we attach submersib
les that can go ultra deep. We program the nukes to go off
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however and whenever and rig them in the submersibles. The thing is, satellite s
ignals can’t penetrate down to the subs or the submersibles. If we can get them
in the right places, either under or nearly under some of the Japanese islands,
we might just tear them a new asshole. If we are lucky we could start all kinds
of earthquake and volcanic activity, maybe even sink parts of some islands. We h
ave a big Pacific event predicted for anytime now by the NEI. A geophysicist I k
now and respect recently told me he thinks NEI is wrong about Hawaii as the epic
enter. He thinks, and a Dr. Goodman who is a Pacific Rim, Far-East vulcanologist
concurs, the more probable epicenter is near the trench along side the eastern
coast of Japan. The Japan Trench. It stretches south from the Kuril Trench in th
e north, near the Kuril Islands and Hokkaido Island, along all of Japan and cont
inues to the Mariana Trench. In the northern portion it s deepest point is 34,58
7 feet but there is not much there worth nuking. Further south, very near Honshu
Island and Tokyo, the depths reach 27,000 + feet. That s over five miles deep M
r. President. More than enough for our purposes because the Japan Trench marks t
he convergence or collision of the Pacific Plate and the western plates. As a bo
nus, there are over 127 volcanoes in the area, 22 of which are active. I say, Mr
. President, we help make it Japan.”
“What will you need to make your scenario happen?” queried the President.
“Now wait a minute. Excuse me Mr. President.” DeBliss blustered. “I meant to say
let’s slow down and talk about this for a minute. What Bramble is
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suggesting is pretty far-fetched and..”
Douglass blew up, “I’ll tell you what’s far-fetched. Sitting here moaning and gr
oaning about this won’t work and that’s impossible and considering moving Jews t
o tent camps and kowtowing to the arrogant pricks that think they can bend us ov
er a barrel and butt-fuck us. Now people, can any of you tell me that the Admira
l’s idea won’t work?” Silence. “Do any of you have a better idea?” Again silence
. “Admiral, you have the floor. What do you need?”
Thomas, still standing, “Sir, Secretary McCullum can push all the buttons to org
anize the subs and submersibles. I know General DeBliss can reach out to the rig
ht people to get the nukes up and delivered. What we need to know, is where best
to place the nukes. I’ll want to talk with Professors Palmer and Goodman to see
what’s possible. Mr. President, it is important that you understand that most o
f the submersibles don’t have much lateral range, less than 50 miles, so it’s do
ubtful many of the subs will survive. Most of all we also need time.”
Horton Timmons cleared his throat and added, “We may have to act like we are wil
ling to do something on the Jewish situation. Of course the Israelis need to kno
w that’s bullshit but we must speak to only the right people in Tel Aviv. No tel
ling who the Arabs have planted there. We also have to institute Marshall law in
the blacked out areas. I talking Federal troops in the streets because the loca
l and State forces can’t handle it.”
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General DeBliss argued, “Mr. President, if we stop further military actions the
bastards will smell a rat. I suggest we keep launching at the satellites, try mo
ving killer satellites next to the geosyncs and fly some bomber sorties against
Lebanon and Syria. Basically keep ‘em busy while Bramble sticks some nukes under
their skirt.”
President Douglass, smiling for the first time in many days, said “People, I hea
rd this somewhere and I think it apropos, MAKE IT SO!”