The Chaos Mandate
Chapter One: Ground Zero
The launch somehow went unnoticed and the missiles were already airborne for several crucial minutes before being detected. They were now hurtling toward their targets with unwavering and deadly accuracy.
The salvo was projected to strike areas along the west coast, with at least three of the single-warhead, multimegaton weapons bearing directly down on Los Angeles.
The anti-missile batteries failed to intercept any of their incoming objectives, and several fighter aircraft wings scrambled in a desperate, last-ditch effort, to use electronic countermeasures against the missiles — to no avail.
The fear was palpable and its stench hung in the air, almost threatening to suffocate all those present in the room.
The men and women at the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado, who were charged with the defense of America, now sat horrified as they watched the traces moving across the computer screens on their paths toward destruction and there was nothing anyone could do. Something had gone terribly wrong this day.
“First missiles expected to reach their targets within five minutes,” a voice said, breaking through the chatter in the room. “Evac is already underway.”