Free World War III by Heath Jannusch

believe so Mr. President,” said Admiral Doyle. “The last communication we received placed them here,” he added, pointing to a large map on the wall behind Hamilton’s desk. “The ship suffered damage from the torpedo of a passing enemy submarine, but the hull is still intact. The carrier was fortunate to be far out at sea, running training exercises, when the country was attacked,” continued the Admiral. “Otherwise the enemy convoy would have destroyed them for sure.”
    “I want to speak to David as soon as you’ve re-established contact,” ordered Hamilton.
    “Yes sir, Mr. President,” said the Admiral.
    “In the meantime, get George’s wife on the phone.”
    “Yes Mr. President,” said Moore, waving to his assistant.
    “We’ve received more reports on the outbreak dubbed Chimaera,” said Lewis. “Cities and towns across the country are pleading for medical assistance, and the death toll continues to rise exponentially.”
    “Have we secured the vaccine yet?” asked Hamilton.
    “Only a few hundred doses,” answered Moore. “The United Nations sent a small supply for high ranking government officials, and even that wasn’t enough to go around. Only the most indispensable people were given a dose.”
    “Are they sending more?”
    “Not at this time Mr. President. They’re struggling to manufacture more as we speak. They were completely unprepared for this outbreak and still aren’t sure how Chimaera got out of the lab. They’re planning to launch an investigation, once the outbreak is under control. Also, with the current turmoil around the world, they’re concerned the cure could fall into the wrong hands.”
    “What do you mean by the wrong hands? It’s a cure!”
    “Apparently the cure is fatal if used incorrectly. With so many dead and dying, the distribution and dosage of the limited supply needs to be controlled, to ensure accuracy and efficiency.”
    “What about opening other sites to manufacture the vaccine?” Asked Hamilton, remembering the small, neon-blue syringes marked NC-666.
    “We’ve been trying Mr. President,” answered Lewis. “Dr. Avery from the C.D.C. assures us that it’s only a matter of time before they have the process perfected. They’re coordinating with the scientists who developed the vaccine, but they need more time.”
    “Time is the one thing we don’t have. Remind them that they’re the one who created this virus. If they want any help with the repercussions, we need the process perfected by tomorrow morning!” hissed Hamilton. “I want plans in place to distribute it all over the country as soon as possible.”
    “Yes, Mr. President,” agreed Lewis.
    “Mr. President,” said Benson, after hanging up the phone on Hamilton’s desk.
    “Yes.”
    “We’ve just verified that most of the nuclear missiles were launched from Chinese and Soviet airspace. However, at least one missile came from North Korea and several more were launched from the Middle East.”
    “Which countries in the Middle East?” Asked Hamilton.
    “We’re not sure yet Mr. President,” answered Benson.
    “Let’s just nuke them all,” suggested General Williams. “That way we’re sure to get the guilty culprit.”
    “If we do that than we’re just as likely to hit innocent countries and that wouldn’t help our position,” countered Moore sternly.
    “So what? We’re already at war with the world,” said General Williams.
    “Not to mention,” continued Moore, ignoring the General’s last comment, “Israel has troops on the ground all over the Middle East. If we launch a strike than we’ll undoubtedly kill Israelis as well. And that’s one country that we don’t want to go to war with.” Moore cast a disgusted look towards the General, who smiled in return.
    “Collateral damage,” said General Williams, shrugging his shoulders, as if it didn’t matter who got killed, as long as the enemy was among the dead.
    “Not quite,” said Moore. “As you very