Outside Cure Corp Building, hundreds of people have gathered to protest rumors that the acting leader of the United States, Secretary of Defense, Dean Johnson was planning a nuclear missile strike at North Korea. Around 60 San Francisco police officers were surrounding the building, standing behind wooden barricades to keep the public away from the building. Around 30 TV and news vans had scattered at the parking lots with reporters doing random interviews to Cure Corp staff who were leaving the building, while others were doing some live reporting. There were several reports of chaos, civilian marches and lootings which had spread all over states, cities and towns across America which benefits the terrorists who are bent on detonating a nuclear bomb in San Francisco. Governors of each state had taken the initiative to preserve peace and order on their respective areas of responsibility while they wait on the Federal government to announce who the acting President will be. But the big story of the day was the discovery of Samantha Peters as a one woman peace keeping force who is single handedly been working with top government officials on preventing a nuclear war in Asia.
Meanwhile, Sirha Uhlo and Zhiad Marwan were already aboard a commercial plane headed for New York. It was a 747 jumbo jet, the plane was full as they sat beside each other on tight coach seating, and not one single seat was vacant.
Sirha Uhlo was reading the latest news on his laptop's internet connection as he excitedly proclaimed saying, "The chaos in America has started Zhiad....Thanks to our Aryan friends...soon, their President will be replaced by an Aryan, and hopefully if everything turns out well, we will be given the red carpet treatment when we land in New York with our nuclear bomb...Ha!..Ha!...Ha!....". Zhiad wondered for a moment while rummaging through his make-up kit as he asked, "Master, I thought that we loaded our nuclear bomb on the cargo ship, Shin Lee Chin?....", as he smeared some lip balm on his lips. Sirha Uhlo stared at him with disdain as he angrily whispered in Zhiad's ear saying, "I thought I told you not to put any lipstick on while we're in the plane!...", Zhiad rebutled saying, "Master, this isn't lipstick, it's Cherry Chapstick....for chapped lips...it get's awfully cold in New York you know...I got you an extra one since I know we don't have this on the deserts of Afghanistan....". Sirha Uhlo quickly grabbed the lip balm from Zhiad's hand as he tossed it into his seat's paper trash bag, as he angrily replied saying, "I'd rather sleep in a bed of nails, or walk on burning coals before I use your lipstick or whatever the hell you call it!...". Zhiad feeling disgruntled, replied saying, "Suit yourself,..just don't come to me when your lips are peeling, parched and dry...", as he crossed his arms over his chest in defiance, wondering why out of all the terrorists in the world, he had to get stuck with one who was homophobic. Feeling a growing sense of irritation for each other due to the tight coach seating, they'd end up elbowing each other from time to time until a flight attendant would come and warn them about their childish behavior.
After the flight attendant walked away, Sirha Uhlo, glanced at his terrorist companion with a dastardly smile as he responded saying, "We do have a nuclear bomb in the cargo ship, "Shin Lee Chin.....Oh! my little pudgy friend", Sirha smiling as he says, "....but I brought a second one, which is now in the plane's cargo compartment, and which will be handled by our Aryan friends In New York. They assured me that it will be in safe hands and will be transferred to our next plane headed for San Francisco...Ha!...Ha!...". Zhiad turned to Sirha Uhlo as he asked, "Master, do you mean to tell me that we're bringing in two nuclear bombs to San Francisco?....but why?....". Sirha Uhlo feeling some frustration towards his companion knocked on his assistant's forehead as he said, "Hello!...Hello!...Is there anybody home?...think for once Zhiad!...What if the Americans intercept our nuclear bomb in the cargo ship "Shin Lee Chin"...then at least we still have another one to work with....and besides, just like our heroes who destroyed the Twin Towers with two jet planes,..we'll destroy San Francisco with two nuclear bombs, which will detonate at the same time, therefore killing more Americans....Ha!....Ha!...". Zhiad hid his disappointment as he mumbled saying, "Great!,...there goes Castro street!...". He then opened up his make-up kit once more then looked at his reflection from a small mirror as he quickly powdered his nose. "Sirha Uhlo stared at him with dismay as he tried to ignore his assistant's obsession with putting make up on.
After a few minutes had passed, Sirha turned to Zhiad asking, "Are our men ready for the arrival of our nuke?...". Zhiad tapped his fingers on his meal table as he answered saying, "Yes Master, we have a total of 50 men, pirates, terrorists, ex-convicts and hardened criminals, they will assist us in securing the nuclear bomb from the Shin Lee Chin and will help us transfer it to Pier 32's warehouse....". Sirha Uhlo gave a big sigh as he disappointedly said, "Zhiad!...50 men isn't enough to stop the police and federal agents from taking our bomb from us.....WE NEED MORE MEN!!!....". Zhiad flashed a seductive smile as he quipped saying, "I like the way you talk Master.....", but then quickly changed his tone of voice into a more business like demeanor before his master catches up on his subtle gay sexual humor, as he blurted out saying, "Relax Master, as we speak, I wired $1.5 million to our terrorist friends so they can hire 50 more men from a mafia boss named Richard Sambrolini...they said that they'll come armed and ready to protect our most priceless possession....". Sirha Uhlo stared outside the window of the plane as he looked at the white clouds as he said, "Hmmm, I would like to meet this Richard Sambrolini soon, who knows, we might need an ally just in case these Aryans double cross us for some reason...Does he know that we're bringing in a nuclear bomb?...", Zhiad shook his head sideways as he answered defensively saying, "Oh! no, of course not Master...for $1.5 million, Mr Sambrolini said they'll assist us with our package with no questions asked...But be forewarned Master, there's been rumors that this Richard Sambrolini is a crazy lunatic who sometimes goes on a killing spree...they say, he even beheads some of his own men and gets a sense of excitement from the sight of blood and death...". Sirha Uhlo looked unconcerned as he leaned back on his seat, he closed his eyes and remarked saying, "Oh Zhiad, don't believe everything you hear....There's no one more brutal than I...now lets get some sleep and stop talking....". Zhiad nodded with his fake humility as he responded saying, "As you wish master...as you wish...".
Back in San Francisco, Grey was driving his old truck in the freeway a little faster than the speed limit. He felt upset as he listened to the news on the radio about reports of Samantha's involvement with the North Korean missile crisis as he mumbled to himself saying, "So she was telling me the truth....but why did she keep this secret from me...specially after that night at her father's birthday party where we made up and promised to be open and honest and to confess all our secrets to each other...". Grey felt betrayed feeling that maybe Samantha did not trust him enough to open up to him, then wondered if her being filthy rich had changed her. He was not even sure if Samantha truly loved him still since her life had dramatically changed and with the return of her best friend, "Chase", doubts about his relationship with Samantha started creeping into his mind. Brushing off his insecurities, he glanced at his wrist watch to check the time, and saw that it was already 2 pm. He was another 15 minutes away from San Francisco's airport. He was headed to pick-up his best friend Ritchie who just arrived from a trip to the Philippines. His arrival time was 1 pm and he was probably waiting outside the arrival area with his luggages by now.
Grey and Ritchie were friends ever since Grey arrived in America 25 years ago. They worked together at a burger joint and remained in touch when Grey left to join the Navy. Ritchie worked his way through school to be a car mechanic and was very knowledgeable in explaining to customers what was wrong with their car. His downside was putting parts back together after he takes them apart. There were always a few pieces that he forgets to re-assemble which usually makes the car run worse than before it was brought to him for fixing, the only thing he could do competently was to inflate tires. Because of this, he always gets fired and moves from one employer to another. After 15 years of struggling in his profession, he finally gave up fixing cars and decided to become a nursing assistant at Grey's advice. Three months ago Ritchie had to borrow $3,000.00 from Grey to fly to the Philippines to pay for his sick grandmother's hospital expenses. Grey usually tries not to lend money to Ritchie because he has an addiction for paying for sex. His present girlfriend works in a brothel in Nevada where prostitution was legal. Ritchie claims that she works in a brothel as a bar tender and not a prostitute, but Grey would not believe him because Ritchie always had to pay his girlfriend a fee after they made love. This was always the cause of their argument specially when Grey always make's fun of his girlfriend whose name was, "Zesty Spice".
As Grey reached the arrival terminal, he parked at the passenger loading area as he looked around at the busy airport. After a few minutes of searching, he finally located Ritchie standing twenty feet from where he was parked. He got out of his truck and yelled at Ritchie, catching his attention. Ritchie quickly grabbed his two luggages as he rolled it and headed towards Grey. He walked with an obvious limp which Grey noticed easily. After loading Ritchie's luggages on the back of his truck, they both got in as Ritchie asked, "Geez!...what took you so long?!...". Grey, feeling guilty apologized saying that he got stuck waiting for Samantha at the counselor's office. Ritchie was surprised as he excitedly asked, "Wow!..you guys are back together again?....that's great!...Quick!...marry her, you'll never find a girl as pretty as her and whose also a billionaire!....You've got it made my man!...", as Ritchie advised with excitement. Feeling resentful, Grey responded saying, "It's not that simple Ritch,...and you know that her being rich has nothing to do with my love for her....I fell in love with her before she became a billionaire, remember?...Actually, her being rich is getting in the way of our relationship....If it wasn't for her dad we....", Ritchie suddenly interrupted asking, "By the way, how's Dr. Peters doing?...Do you think Samantha can make an appointment for me to see him?....". Grey looked puzzled as he asked, "Why does it have to be him, why not see a regular doctor, the man's very busy you know, besides, we've got universal healthcare....you didn't get gonorrhea again, did you?.....". Grey inquired as he remembered Dr. Peters treating Ritchie due to a case of gonorrhea he caught from having un-protected sex with a prostitute. Ritchie downplayed the issue as he said, "No!...no!...of course not...it's just that I'm afraid of doctors and hospitals, and Dr. Peters was the first one I felt comfortable with and who I feel I can trust...He's just really nice and understanding, you know?....". Grey glanced at him with suspicion while driving as he asked, "Speaking of doctors and hospitals, how's your grandmother doing?...". Ritchie looked nervous as he stammered saying, "Sh..sh..she's..be..better...she to..told me to thank you for lending me that $3,000.00 to pay for her medical expenses....". Ritchie quickly changed the topic as he asked, "Hey!, have you been checking out the news lately?...Samantha's all over the news!....She's popular!...She's like a celebrity now!....". Grey sadly responded saying, "I know....and that's gonna be another problem in our relationship....She said the reason we broke up a year ago was because I did not have time for her....And now that I'm making time for her, she'll be the one who'll be busy and not have any time for me....". Grey quickly changed the topic as he asked, "Oh! by the way,...So will you accept my job offer for you to be my property manager...I told Samantha that I'll hire someone to manage my rental properties and that I'll stop writing songs and novels for now....". Ritchie boldly asked, "You'll pay me $2,000.00 a month right?...". Grey looking annoyed, glanced at Ritchie as he answered saying, "Are you crazy?!...$1,000.00 a month was our deal over the phone....plus free lodging, you can stay at my extra room, that's at least $700.00 of room rent you'll be getting for free...and you can still work part time as a nursing assistant at night....". Ritchie laughed as he answered, "Ok!...ok!...I was just teasing ...you sure drive a hard bargain!...". While driving back to Vallejo, they continued listening to the radio for anymore news regarding Samantha.
Nuclear Submarine: Bill Clinton SSN42-500 Nautical miles from the North Korean coastline.
The bridge of the submarine was cramped and dark with minimal lighting coming mostly from blinking red, blue and green electronic lights. Captain Latasha Everlyn and her second in command, Commander Maria Isabel with their Chief of the Boat, Masterchief Joan Mclain, had been in communication with the Secretary of Defense Dean Johnson, "For crying out loud Captain....", Dean Johnson yells, "I am the acting US President and once again, I am ordering you to arm and launch four nuclear missiles at the capital of North Korea before they could fire off their nuclear missiles at several of our Asian country allies!....". Captain Everlyn glanced at her second in command then spoke back saying, "I'm sorry Mr. Secretary....with all due respect....I need to follow the protocol which states that the ultimate authority that can give orders to launch nuclear missiles rests with our President....and as of now, we don't have any knowledge of whether he's dead or alive....and even if he's deceased....I still require you to give me two authority codes....Yours is not enough....I'll need one more sir!...". Dean Johnson made a fist as he slammed it on the conference table as FBI, Secret Service agents and Cure Corp personnel witnessed his impatience and verbal aggression towards the Captain of the nuclear submarine. The conference room was now filled with both military, civilians and government agents. The rest of Admiral Rivera's team were disarmed of their weapons including the remaining five military police who were to protect them. Five senior lawyers including Muhammad Khan were all gathered together as if they were being held as hostages together with Betsy and three of Cure Corps top executives. They were forced to sit on one side of the room as armed guards watched over them. Secretary Johnson also ordered FBI agents to search for Admiral Rivera and his companions and to place them under arrest for treason.
While Dean Johnson continued arguing with Captain Everlyn, he suddenly covered the speaker of his phone as he stared at his Undersecretary asking, "Tell me again why we picked this woman to launch our nukes?.....Can't we find another?...Women are so stubborn!....". His Undersecretary flashed a devilish smile as he whispered to Secretary Johnson's ear saying, "This Captain is the best bet to launch a nuclear missile strike because the captain's a woman and can be easily persuaded or threatened by you....Plus, it's easier to start a mutiny when the captain is a black female and her executive officer is a Filipino female...and with their Chief of the Boat being a white female, they don't get the same respect that other male submarine commanders get. It will be easier to start a mutiny when women are leading a nuclear submerine...but for now, do what I say and bribe her....If that doesn't work, my back-up plan is even more potent and I will ensure that those nukes will be in the air soon....".
Dean Johnson spoke back into the phone as he tried to sound more civil as he said, "Now Captain Everlyn, we have less than 40 minutes left before North Korea starts a nuclear war and kills millions of innocent lives across Asia....My Undersecretary tells me that the reason you joined the Navy was to be the best you could be...and be an example to all black women around the world....Now I, being a sensitive man...I know and I understand that black women are the lowest in the world's social hierchy...even when slavery was still legal in America....I know this cause I took African American studies in college....I had two choices....either that, or basket weaving, but since I sprained my wrist playing volleyball, I chosed the former instead....Now I really want to help change that negative perception about black women....Really, I do by making you a hero.....Once you release those nuclear missiles and destroy and obliterate North Korea, you will be hailed as the only black woman who had the balls to annihilate that evil communist country....And as the President of the United States, I will promote you as my Secretary of State just like Condoleeza Rice....Some schools might even be named after you, who knows?....". Captain Everlyn rolled her eyes in disgust while listening to the insane offer as Commander Isabel gestured as if she was throwing up by putting a finger down her throat and gagging silently. Captain Everlyn responded saying, "Once again, with all due respect Mr. Secretary....I don't know if you took anatomy in college, but for your information, women don't have balls...Secondly, Ive dealt with men like you who were born with them, but don't know how to properly put them to good use....And lastly, until the President himself gives me the order to fire my nukes or I receive confirmation that the President is deceased and all high ranking U.S. cabinet members above you are dead, you won't see me launch any of my missiles....Well maybe I'll release a soft fart when I think of you while I'm taking a dump after lunch, over and out....". Captain Everlyn hanged up the phone as she raised her right hand and did a "High five", hand slap with Masterchief Mclain as they both smiled contemptuously.
The Captain grabbed the "1MC", loud speaker as she announced from her bridge to all her crew saying, "Listen up!, everyone...we're now on DEFCON 3...nuclear missile launch by North Korea is imminent...XO take her down....".Commander Isabel quickly announced, "Chief of the Boat, make her depth at 150 feet...five degree down bubble...Dive!...Dive!....". The submarine started submerging at a five degree angle. Captain Everlyn then gave a command to her XO (Executive Officer) to try and contact the Pentagon to find out who is the acting US President and who will they take orders from. She also contacted her legal officer Lieutenant Commander Luscious Tan so that they could meet to discuss and clarify proper Navy regulations which deals with the standard procedures and legal protocols on the release of nuclear missiles.
Back at Cure Corp, the Secretary of Defense was furious that the Captain of the submarine, the USS Bill Clinton disrespected and hanged up on him. He stared at his Undersecretary Thomas Burns and wondered why he was smiling as he typed into his laptop. Feeling agitated, he slapped his hand on the table in front of his Undersecretary as he yelled saying, "What the hell is so amusing at a time like this?!....". Mr. Burns (Undersecretary of Defense) was startled for a second then looked up at him while he continued typing as he said, "Don't worry boss...I'm now implementing our back-up plan as we speak...". Dean Johnson gave him a puzzled expression as Mr. Burns continued explaining, "As we speak, I am now in facebook chating with your classmate in law school and fraternity brother which by the way happens to be the third highest ranking official in the USS nuclear submarine Bill Clinton....". Dean Johnson wondered and remained quiet and attentive as he listened. Undersecretary Burns once again typed into his computer then slowly asked, "Why?...don't you remember Luscious Tan?....He was your drinking buddy in college...He said you guys use to screw girls left and right during college...He's excited to communicate with you specially when I told him that you'll be the new U.S. President...this friend of yours thinks that you should be the legitimate President of the United States and would do anything for you as long as you promote him to be in your cabinet...". Dean Johnson looked perplexed as he asked, "So what are you saying?....". Mr. Burns swiveled in his chair in a playfull fashion as he said, "What I'm saying is that we can give him an order through Facebook to assemble a small armed group and take over the submarine, then we'll have control over the nukes...Ha!...Ha!...". Dean Johnson quickly sat beside him deep in thought as he asked, "Are you telling me that I should order him to commit mutiny?....". Mr. Burns moved his index finger sideways as he replied saying, "No..no..no...it wouldn't be mutiny if he was getting ordered by the U.S. President now would it?...". They both laughed out loud at their devilish plan as everyone in the conference room looked at each other with dread....".
Meanwhile, Admiral Rivera, Samantha, Agent Villes, General Cheung, Captain O'Bland and their two military guards moved with haste, but before they reached the conference room they were met by one of Samantha's senior secretaries as she warned them that Dean Johnson had ordered a warrant for their arrest, and if they try to speak to Dean Johnson, they'll just get arrested by armed FBI agents guarding the door to the conference room. They decided to re-group at the small office they came from to brain storm their next strategy. Admiral Rivera tells everyone that it was imperative that they find out how Sec. Johnson's plans on launching nuclear missiles at North Korea, whether it was from land, air or sea. He looks at Captain O'bland and orders him to try and contact General Ben Calibossman (Chief of Staff of the US AirForce ) and General Luke Amodeos (Chief of the Army) to try and get some information to find out if Sec. Johnson was trying to use any of their nuclear arsenals to destroy North Korea. The Admiral ordered General Cheung to contact Vice Admiral Addy Baylawn (Chief of Naval Operations) and Major General Paula Nordblend (Commandant of the Marine Corps). He then asked Mr. Villes to contact his close friends in the FBI, CIA, NSA and Homeland Security to find out if they knew anything about Sec. Johnson's plans. The Admiral, with Samantha's help both tried to contact the different military directors of Manpower and Personnel, Intelligence, Logistics, and of Management. Unfortunately, even though they all felt a sense of loyalty towards the Admiral, they all recognize Sec. Johnson as the rightfull leader of the country. They were even warned by some of the high ranking leaders of the Pentagon that what they are doing was treason since they did not know that the real President was hiding in Cairo, and was still alive.
Admiral Rivera and his companions started feeling as if their world was closing in on them. Sooner or later, Sec. Johnson will treat them as traitors for wanting to stop Sec. Johnson from attacking North Korea. Admiral Rivera thought of calling his brother Raul who was an NSA agent, but he knew better that authorities are now tracking all his incoming and outgoing phone calls. Meanwhile, agent Villes was on the phone with his trusted CIA operative who was telling him that all military brass were not going to support them for fear of getting implicated in harbouring fugitives wanted by the US government. After they all ended their phone calls, agent Villes told them that their only option was to leave the country. Agent Villes told them that his trusted CIA operative can get them out of the country by sea and maybe stay at another country under false names, just until the US President assumes his powers back.
Agent Villes also reminded them that the information sent to them by future's US government (The Last American Citizens) clearly indicated that North Korea was never attacked by America's nuclear weapons, and that if Sec. Johnson was successfull in destroying North Korea by launching nukes at them, it will drastically change the future. Everybody looked at each other not sure what agent Villes was trying to say until Samantha asked, "So what if nuclear missiles does destroy North Korea, what happens then?....". Agent Villes took a deep sigh as he paused for a second then answered saying, "Well, of course...China will get involved, since they're North Korea's ally....They'll probably launch nukes at our military bases in Hawaii, Japan and Australia, and our other allies in Asia...Then, once we get into a nuclear war with China...Russia is gonna get involved since they're allies with China. The British and the Germans will get involved and fight Russia....Iran will then help Russia by launching nukes at our allies in Europe....Israel who's our ally will try to destroy Iran for that....then the League of Arab Nations will band together to attack and destroy the nation of Israel....In conclusion, what I'm trying to say is if nuclear missiles are launched against North Korea, it will be the start of World War 3, which will be a nuclear holocaust...and I'm not sure if there's going to be any government from the future who'll be able to send us a solution on how to diffuse this whole thing since we're already forging an alternate future. After hearing Agent Villes discourse of possible future events, they all sat around slumped feeling deflated until Samantha came up with an idea.
Meanwhile, back at the USS Nuclear Submarine Bill Clinton, Lt. Commander Tan had finished communicating with Undersecretary Thomas Burns through facebook and had agreed to take over command of the nuclear submarine. After leaving his stateroom, he inconspicuously recruited several enlisted men, mostly US Marines who despised taking orders from women and who secretly criticized the leadership of the submarine's commanding officer and executive officer since they did not respect authority coming from females. After obtaining guns and rifles from their weapons compartment, they quickly made their way, single file towards the submarine's bridge. With the element of surprise behind them, and being armed, they were able to take control of the bridge without any major incidents of violence. Captain Everlyn tried to reason with Lt. Cdr. Tan who was their legal officer but he disagreed with her as he claimed that he was now taking orders from the current US President Dean Johnson as he and his team of armed marines pointed their guns towards the crew as they took control of the submarine. After obtaining the Captain's nuclear missile key, he had his marines take the Captain's and the Executive Officer's authentication codes which was needed to arm the nuclear missiles. Lt. Cdr. Tan then ordered two of his marines to escort Captain Everlyn and her executive officer Commander Isabel to their state rooms and to lock them up and guard them. Lt. Cdr. Tan then ordered Masterchief Mclain to stay at the bridge but had her wrist handcuffed to a rail since Luscious Tan needed her to navigate and perform all orders to operate the submarine. Being a lawyer, Luscious Tan had no clue on how to operate a submarine much less give correct orders to the crew.
Suddenly alarms sounded off as the radar officer wearing his headset announced yelling, "Con! sonar shows enemy sub, Chinese type Alpha class sub heading towards us, bearing 0-8-5, range 900 yards and closing....It has to be a North Korean sub....requesting orders....". Suddenly Lt. Cdr. Tan got nervous as he started stammering not sure what to do as Masterchief Mclain rolled her eyes in exasperation as she refused to suggest a solution for this crisis. To her, she'd rather die with the crew than risk a nuclear war in Asia which could kill millions of people. Luscious Tan commanded her to do something but she just ignored him. He then pleaded in front of her like a frightened child telling her that he wasn't ready to die as the sonar officer quickly announced saying , "Con-sonar!...enemy sub fired two torpedoes bearing 0-9-5, range 750 yards, requesting orders please!...". The sonar officer stared at Lt Cdr. Tan as sweat beads formed on his forehead. Feeling helpless and afraid, Luscious Tan knelt in front of the female masterchief. The Legal Officer pleaded profusely with Masterchief Mclain. She finally had enough of Tan's childish behavior as she suddenly slapped his face silly, then pointed a finger at his face as she said, "Ok, I'll do it but you have to promise me you won't fire those nuclear missiles at North Korea until we know the true condition of our President, Is that clear?!...". Luscious Tan quickly nodded as beads of sweat filled his frightened face. Masterchief Mclain quickly demanded saying, "Take this handcuffs off of me!...and I want the CO (Commander Officer Everlyn) and the XO (Executive Officer Isabel) here on the bridge. I can evade the sub only for awhile...but I don't know these underwater terrain like they do. The sonar officer announced once more saying, "Con-sonar!..the torpedoes are getting closer, bearing 0-9-5, range is 350 yards and closing....time of impact 35 seconds...". Lt Cdr. Tan gestured for his marines to free Masterchief Mclain from her handcuff and ordered another armed marine to fetch the CO and XO and bring them both to the bridge. Masterchief Mclain then abrasively shoved Luscious Tan out of the way as if she was brushing off a fly. She grabbed the, "1MC speaker", then barks out orders to the whole crew as she started announcing, "General quarters!...Everyone to their battle stations!....". She then looked at her sub driver as she ordered saying, "Increase speed by 70%, prepare to launch countermeasures.....fill up torpedo tubes, two, four and six....".
The USS Bill Clinton started to speed up away from the incoming torpedoes, but the torpedoes were just too fast. The radar officer yelled once more saying, "Masterchief, the torpedoes are gaining on us....range 150 yards and closing, time of impact...20 seconds...". Masterchief Mclain with her cool demeanor quickly ordered saying, "Release countermeasures now!...". Suddenly two electronic countermeasures were released from the submarine's aft (tail side). As the torpedoes came closer, it suddenly changed it's course and headed towards the countermeasures, and in a split second, the two torpedoes exploded. The crew yelled for joy like a football team that had scored a touchdown. But suddenly the sonar officer yelled again saying, "Masterchief!, they shot off two more torpedoes heading towards us, range is 250 yards!...". Masterchief Mclain wasn't surprised at all, just like a seasoned chess player who knew what her opponent's next move would be, she always thought a few steps ahead of the game as she ordered saying, "Sub-driver, make your depth to 300 feet....aim for those mountains bearing 0-5-3, give me a countdown will ya!...". She then looks at Luscious Tan who was shaking in his boots from shear fear as she said, "Hey Luscious, make yourself usefull and sound the collision alarm will ya?!..It's that red switch above your head!...", as she pointed above Tan's head.
As the collision alarm sounded, the USS Bill Clinton submarine headed towards the deeper undersea mountains as the sonar officer announced yelling, "Masterchief, we're gonna hit those mountains if we dive this fast!...We need to slow down...". Masterchief Mclain knew that if they slowed down, the torpedoes will hit them before she could make an evasive maneuver. She gave the sub-driver a stern look for questioning her order which frightened the young sailor as he focused back at his controls. After a few seconds, the sonar officer announced yelling, " Time of impact,...8...7...6...5...". Masterchief Mclain quickly announced, "Sub-driver!, left full rudder now!...". The submarine Bill Clinton made a quick left turn just before it crashed into the mountainous ridges. But as it turned, the submarine drifted too fast to the right as the submarine's starboard side (right side) hits the mountain's ridge, scraping the whole right side of the sub which caused a loud screeching sound as most of the crew were thrown off balance to the right then to the left. As the sub-driver tried to regain control, the two torpedoes crashed into the mountain's crest as it exploded only a few feet from the submarine's propeller. The blast caused large rocks to fall and hit the submarine's rudder damaging it completely. Shock waves from the blast reverberated towards the Bill Clinton which caused large pipes to leak, guages to break and smaller pipes to fracture and spray sea water inside the sub's compartments. The bridge was filled with smoke from electrical short circuits which came from their electronic panels getting wet. The noxious gas that emerged made most of the crew on the bridge cough and gag as they covered their faces with wet clothing to prevent inhaling the harmful gas.
As the shaking stopped inside the sub, Masterchief Mclain quickly announced through the "1MC", as she yelled, "Damage Control reports to the bridge now!...Fire party, report to the damage control officer!...". Suddenly, Captain Everlyn and Commander Isabel arrives at the bridge as the CO quickly asks, "Masterchief, whats our ship's status?!...". After masterchief Mclain gave her a quick report and update, Captain Everlyn heads to their maps as she asks, "What's our distance to the enemy sub?....". The sonar officer quickly answered saying, "1500 yards and closing, bearing 0-6-0...". The CO then looks to the Damage Control Officer as she asks, "Give me the damage control report now!...". The damage control officer froze then stammered not sure what to say from shear fear from their near death experience. Masterchief Mclain took over saying, "Five sailors injured, one in critical condition with third degree burns...We have flooding in compartments 24 and 36 level two and 16 in level one. Weapons department was completely flooded,...we only have one torpedo that was armed by a sailor in the weapons department before he drowned....So far, fires had been contained in engineering, our nuclear reactor is stable with no signs of radiation leaks....We do have a problem with our steering...Looks like our rudder is broken....". Executive Officer (XO) Isabel quickly asked, "Are you telling me we only have one shot at our enemy?...". Masterchief Mclain nodded as cold sweat trickled down her face. Captain Everlyn quickly grabbed a ruler and pencil and started plotting a course on their map as she then ordered, "Dive officer, let's go 15 degree down bubble..depth 400 feet, then I want a full stop with complete silence!....". Suddenly the radar officer disagreed as he said, "Captain!, shouldn't we turn around and fire our torpedo?....We got our ass sticking out....we're sitting ducks!....". The Captain stared at him with an irritated look on her face. She knew that since the submarine's rudder was damaged, she wasn't sure if they had enough time to make a 180 degree turn , or if it was even possible to make a U-turn to face the enemy submarine. If they tried an about face and failed because of the broken rudder, the enemy sub will fire another set of torpedoes which will kill them instantly. She decided to hide instead, which was the best strategy she could think of to preserve their lives, it was a risky move but it was the chance she decided to take. She then repeated her order slowly and clearly and with a firm tone to her voice. Beads of sweat covered her face as a drop of blood from a laceration to her right eyebrow fell on the deck as everyone focused on their tasks while ignoring their individual aches and pains.
After a tense few minutes, the submarine Bill Clinton finally reached the depth of 400 feet, then stopped completely as they observed complete silence so that the enemy submarine won't detect their presence. Lt Cdr. Tan whispered to Cdr. Isabel asking, "What's her plan?...". Cdr. Isabel smiled at him sarcastically as she whispered back saying, "It's a clever strategy really...with the explosion creating all this underwater dust and rubble,..the enemy sub does not know whether we're dead or alive, so they'll come closer to check out the torpedo blast and listen....If the sub turns away, then they'll think we're dead, but if the sub turns towards us, then they know we're still alive....then even if we try to outrun them, with our broken rudder, they'll eventually catch up to us and destroy us....We do have countermeasures, but that will only take us so far...so what we need to do is to be completely silent and hopefully they will think we're dead, and once they turn around, then we can slip away...".
As the crew tried to remain silent, with most of them showing a worried and scared facial expression. They gazed at each other but no one dared to move an inch. Unfortunately, the damage to the submarine caused random pipe patches to break, therefore creating sounds of water spraying in different compartments. After a minute of waiting, the radar officer whispers, "They're getting closer...400 yards and closing....300 yards....200 yards.....they've stopped...". Luscious Tan stared at Cdr. Isabel as he whispered asking, "What's going on?...". Cdr. Isabel gazed around the bulkheads as she whispered back saying, "Shhhhh....they're doing an accoustic search.....as long as we don't move and stay silent, they'll think we're part of this mountain and they won't detect us.....". After another minute, the enemy sub starts moving and suddenly turns towards the USS Bill Clinton. The radar officer suddenly takes off his headset as he whispers in anguish saying, "Oh!...God!....here they come...we're dead!....".
(Back at Cure Corp)
Samantha leads the way as she and her group uses the fire exit staircase to get to the 52nd floor. Their plan was to get to the security office where security guards has video surveillance of every office and room in the building. Once they got to the security office. Samantha orders her security guards to drop their weapons as the the two military police who were with them tied up the security guards to prevent them from being criminally charged for assisting fugitives, thus protecting their welfare and their future. After a few minutes of searching through channels of video feeds, they found the channel that had the live video feed inside the conference room on the 40th floor where Dean Johnson was operating his plans from. Unfortunately, they did not have any audio connection which could help them listen to what Dean Johnson was planning to do. Samantha quickly called one of her secretaries and asked her the number to the conference room's fax machine. Admiral Rivera and the other men with them wondered what she was planning to do. Samantha explains that when she and Betsy were in highschool, they both took sign language courses and became proficient at it. They even volunteered to take care of kids who had hearing and speech impairments. She then explains that for them to find out what Sec. Johnson will use to launch nukes at North Korea, she will send a coded fax message that will alert Betsy. Samantha will try to make Betsy aware that she was viewing her through the security camera and that Betsy could carefully name the facility that will launch the nukes by inconspicuously spelling it to her by using sign language. They all looked at each other though there was no argument since they were all out of ideas. After Samantha finishes writing the message, she faxes it to the conference room's office fax machine. As the fax machine inside the conference room starts printing, an FBI agent grabs the printed message and reads it. He quickly looks around the room as he asks, "Is there someone named Betsy here?....". Sec. Johnson stops his discussion with his undersecretary and stares at the FBI agent.
Betsy was startled at first to hear her name being called out then hesitantly raises her hand slowly as the agent asks, "Do you own a flower shop?....". Betsy was confused at the question but she remains silent. The agent looks back at the printout as he says, "It seems that there's someone who wants to order flowers from you but is hearing and speech impaired.....so the customer wants someone who can perform sign language...then the notes says, "Communicate with me in person through sign language once the flowers are ready for pick-up?....". The agent had a puzzled look on his face, as he says, "It's signed by Zeus?....". Betsy suddenly stares at the room's surveillance camera, then nods vigorously as she tries to act calm. Betsy quickly realizes that it was Samantha who sent it. The fact that it was only her that knows about her ability to do sign language, her dad's failed flower shop business and how she remembers teasing Samantha for having too many security cameras in her building which makes her feel as if she was being watched by the Greek god, "Zeus". She then takes the note from the agent as she gets scolded by the FBI agent for doing her flower shop business while she was at work. Betsy pretends to feel embarrassed. After a few minutes when nobody was looking at her, she starts spelling, "USS Bill Clinton nuke sub", by using sign language inconspicuously while the camera was focused on her hands. After Samantha and her group finds out the vessel that will launch the nukes, Admiral Rivera sits by the computer terminal and uses his top secret codes that allows him to send a message to any ship, plane or submarine in the US Navy. His plan was to tell the crew of the USS Bill Clinton that the US President was alive and well, and that they should not take orders from Dean Johnson. But as he was typing the message to the nuclear submarine, three FBI agents suddenly barges into the room as one of them tackles Admiral Rivera to the floor just before he was able to send the message out, while the other two agents points their guns at Samantha and company.
Back in the USS Bill Clinton, the enemy sub continues to move towards them as Lt. Cdr. Tan whispers nervously to Cdr. Isabel asking, "Why are we not making a run for it?!....we're gonna die!...". Cdr. Isabel shoves him aside as she makes her way towards the sonar officer and takes his headset from him as she wears it over her head to listen. Captain Everlyn who was in sync with her XO softly asks, "Did they flood their missile tubes yet?....". Cdr. Isabel stares at her as she whispers saying, "Not yet Captain....". Both senior officers knew that when the enemy submarine floods their torpedo tubes, it means that they're ready to arm and fire their torpedoes. But the fact that the enemy submarine had not flooded their torpedo tubes mean't that the enemy sub was still not aware of the presence of the Bill Clinton and that they were still searching. Also, the fact that the Bill Clinton was beside a mountainous ridge where there were sporadic underwater landslides which was caused by the torpedo blast could be masking the noise coming from the Bill Clinton. After a few more seconds of waiting, the enemy sub stops 50 yards from the Bill Clinton sub's propeller as they listened. After another 30 seconds had passed, the enemy submarine turns around and starts heading the opposite way. Most of the crew on the bridge gives a sigh of relief as the XO who took over for the sonar officer reports the good news to the crew. After they were out of the enemy's acoustic and sonar range of the enemy submarine, Captain Everlyn gives quick orders to head for the US Naval base at Yokosuka Japan to have their rudder repaired. As they move towards their intended destination, they understood that it will take them longer to maneuver and make turns due to their broken rudder.
After a few minutes, Lt. Cdr. Tan suddenly gives a secret signal to his marines as they all pull out their guns and once again places the senior officers under arrest. Masterchief Mclain reminds him of his promise not to fire the nukes at North Korea, but Luscious Tan just laughs and says that he lied. Captain Everlyn reminds him that the weapons department was completely flooded and that there was no way to activate their nuclear missiles. Luscious Tan laughed even louder as he told the Captain that he had the firing mechanism transferred to the bridge before the weapons department got flooded, and that he has complete control of four armed nuclear missiles.
After Captain Everlyn, Cdr. Isabel and Masterchief Mclain were all handcuffed, Luscious Tan gives the dive officer orders to surface so they can fire their nuclear missiles. After a few minutes, the dive officer announces saying, "We're all ahead one-third....steady as she goes....our depth is at 150 feet.....zero bubble...We're up and slow and silent to launch depth....". As the USS Bill Clinton nears the surface, the weapons officer announces saying, "Pressurize nuclear missiles one through four....". An enlisted sailor manning the nuclear missiles nervously answers, "All missiles one through four pressurized...sir!...". After another two minutes of tense moments had passed, the weapons officer announces once more, "Sir, we're at launch depth and hovering.....what are your orders sir...". Lt. Cdr. Tan gave another sinister smile as he turns around to face the captain whom he saw was consulting secretly with her XO and Masterchief as he asks, "What are you all talking about at this time?...", as he delightedly questions their motives. Captain Everlyn stares at him as she says, "Before you fire those nuclear missiles at North Korea,...remember....there is still that enemy submarine that's out there, probably less than a thousand yards away....and when they detect the launching of our nukes, they're gonna come straight for us and kill us...We can't out run them, we have a broken rudder,...remember?...Are you ready to die Lt Cdr Tan?....". Suddenly the legal officer gets nervous and frightened as he thinks about it and asks, "Well, what should I do then?...". Captain Everlyn pretends to have changed her mind together with her two colleagues who were handcuffed with her, as she says, "We were just thinking...that, what the heck!...North Korea is a dangerous country anyway, and if we don't destroy them now, they'll eventually terrorize their neighboring countries and start a nuclear war....So I guess, what I'm saying is that we'll support you in destroying North Korea....but first, let's destroy that enemy submarine that's out there so that they can't come back and hunt us down once we release our nuclear missiles.....". Lt Cdr. Tan flashes a childish expression on his face as he jumps for joy that his senior officers are finally supporting his plan as he briefly fantasizes how he will look wearing a three piece suit in front of the White House with a new title as Secretary of State or Secretary of Defense for the new President of the United States, Dean Johnson. Masterchief Mclain wanted to slap his face and bring him back to reality but she saw that there were marines pointing their guns at them. Luscious Tan finally had their handcuffs taken off. Captain Everlyn suggests that since they only had one torpedo available for firing that Cdr. Isabel should take over the torpedo's firing control since she is more experienced in handling critical moments such as this. Tan thought it was a great idea and agreed.
Captain Everlyn then takes command of the USS Bill Clinton as she says, "Dive Officer, make your depth to 200 feet, five degree down bubble. Their submarine dives as they start hunting for the enemy submarine. After more than ten minutes of searching, the sonar officer announces that he found the location of the enemy submarine which they started following carefully. As they got within torpedo range, Captain Everlyn gives orders saying, "initiate weapons,..flood torpedo tube....we only got one shot at this Cdr. Isabel, better make it count....". Cdr. Isabel looks at her Captain as Captain Everlyn winks at her which the legal officer witnesses and wonders what it was all about, not knowing that it was a secret signal between the two female officers to deactivate and lock all active nuclear missiles from being launched, After Cdr. Isabel secretly deactivates and locks the nuclear missiles, she nods at her Captain which mean't that they had taken away total control of the nuclear missiles from Lt Cdr Tan, she also signals that she is now going through with their plans to suboutage Lt Cdr Tan's plan of destroying North Korea. Finally, with armed US Marines, still pointing their guns at them, Captain Everlyn gives the order to fire their one and only armed torpedo at the enemy submarine. As the torpedo was launched, the enemy submarine detects the speeding torpedo and tries to evade the torpedo by turning around but it was no use, the torpedo was heading straight for the enemy submarine. But with a few seconds left before the torpedo hits the enemy sub, Cdr. Isabel presses a switch which disarms their one and only torpedo. As the torpedo hits the enemy submarine's hull, it breaks into smaller pieces, Luscious Tan was shocked and surprised as he yells asking, "What just happened?!...how come our torpedo did not explode?!....", as the enemy submarine makes a full U-turn and heads towards them.
Captain Everlyn then solemnly explains that she ordered the torpedo disarmed to allow the enemy submarine to destroy the USS Bill Clinton before it gets the chance to launch it's nuclear missiles at North Korea....". Luscious Tan falls to his knees realizing that he was tricked as he asks the Captain, "Why?". Captain Everlyn tells him that she'd rather die a martyr than live as a mass murderer. Suddenly the Sonar Officer announces saying, "Con sonar, torpedo on water bearing 0-4-6...400 yards and closing...time of impact...40 seconds. Captain Everlyn grabs the "1MC", speaker as she announces to her crew what was about to happen. She explains that the ultimate sacrifice they were about to make was to ensure that the world remains a peaceful place and that their deaths will save millions of innocent lives. She expresses her deep hearted gratitude and the pride that she feels in leading, serving and dying with all the sailors of the USS Bill Clinton....". She then catches a glimpse of Lt. Cdr Luscious Tan who was slumped on the deck weeping like a three year old child. She then hears Masterchief Mclain say, "It is a privilege to serve with you, Captain....". Captain Everlyn smiles at her with a heavy heart then looks at her executive officer who is still seated at the controls. They give each other their final salute of admiration when suddenly, the enemy's torpedo hits the USS Bill Clinton's hull as it explodes in a massive underwater ball of flame. (End of Chapter)
Authors Note: This is the end of the first of three books entitled, "The Knight of Peace". If you enjoyed reading this online novel, please order the next two books which are the continuation of this book's story. As of now, it is still not available, but I will let you know when it is available in Kindle....Thank you for your patience and patronage.
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