Chapter 58

Rise to Power

7:16 P.M. EST

Secretary of State, Marsha Kelly made her way down the brightly lit corridor within the state department's steel-clad bunker. Everything was still in disarray; long stowed-away crates were being opened and unloaded while efforts to ensure the operational integrity of the bunker were underway.

Suddenly, a cacophony of shouts, yells, and an isolated but shrill scream.

Marsha whipped her head back and forth before turning to face her head of security, Mike, who was currently listening into his earpiece, "Mike? What just happened?"

The burly, onyx-skinned man's face contorted, and a slight tremble ran through his body as he declared: "Madam Secretary, we've just received a positive ID, The Eagle is gone, there were no survivors."

"Oh god," Marsha exhaled as she stopped and leaned against the wall. Her palms went to her forehead as her eyes opened wide in shock. The worst scenario that she possibly could have imagined was now becoming a reality. President Adams had been a close friend... And now he was gone.

Then, suddenly, a far worse implication darted through her mind. Cory.

"Get me on the line with the Vice-President!" Marsha shouted as she pushed herself off from the wall, and while composing herself she rushed towards her office.

As soon as she entered the room, a communication link opened to the Executive Bunker, where the President would have originally been taken had he survived the initial assault on Washington D.C.

"Do we have him on, Mike!?" Marsha hurriedly yelled as she walked over and collapsed into her chair.

"They're working on locating the Vice-President!" Mike returned, his voice firm and absolute. Amidst a storm of turmoil, Mike was remaining a firm anchor for Marsha.

"What do you mean they're working on locating the Vice-President!? They're in a bunker for christ's sake! Where the hell could he possibly be!?"

It was only moments later that the word came in.

"Madam Secretary... The Vice-President is dead," Mike announced, as his eyes widened and jaw slackened, hanging open like a yawning cave.

Marsha took a step back and flung her hand over her mouth. What the hell is happening!? She thought.

Feeling as though she had been electrocuted from the sheer shock of the situation, Marsha asked, "How is he dead, Mike!?"

"He... Hung himself," Mike stammered out. The composure that was typical from a personal DS agent slipped away for just a moment.

Marsha nearly fainted right then and there. "Mike..."

"Madam Secretary... We're moving you to Site R," the man replied.

"Raven Rock," Marsha whispered under her breath in disbelief as suddenly she was being whisked away by her security detail to the underground tunnels linking the State Departments' bunker with that of Raven Rock.

As she rushed through winding corridors, the disbelief that she felt over the Vice-President's death soon morphed into something else; something that frankly disturbed Marsha. In a way, she was grateful for the Vice-President's decision. Considering the stakes the nation was under, it may have been the most patriotic choice the man had ever made. Whether it was cowardice or bravery, she knew not. But she also didn't care. Despite the poor circumstances, the gravity of the situation compelled Marsha to ground herself and face the harsh reality. The presidential line of succession was now falling upon her, and that her childhood ambition would now inadvertently become an actuality.

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8:59 P.M. EST

In a brightly lit room under the Raven Rock mountains, Secretary of State, Marsha Kelly, was facing the culmination of the events of the day. Within only a matter of hours, the President had died along with the three succeeding members of the United States presidential line of succession. The nation was essentially undergoing a collapse. Marsha was one of the few high-ranking members of the American government still alive. The remnants of the presidential cabinet only consisted of the secretaries of the Treasury, Defense, Agriculture, and Transportation. The Secretary of Education had died earlier that day--she had been traveling in the van in front of Marsha during their evacuation. Marsha could have just as easily been the one to die in her stead.

Fortunately, despite so many disasters throughout the day, the one silver lining was that the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of the Interior had both made it to emergency government bunkers in time. The other Cabinet Officials had yet to report in, and Marsha feared the worse.

Marsha could only praise the foresight of the previous American Presidents that had installed alternative methods of communication. While communicating via telegraph and morse code was certainly archaic, it was the best they had under their current circumstances.

Marsha's mind was a mess. As she circled her concentration back to the present, she refocused her attention to survey the room. In front of her were the various remaining high-ranking members of the United States Government. Some were present on display screens, which surrounded the room, via short-distance networks.

Fortunately, government contingency installations such as Camp David and Mount Weather were all within what they were calling 'The Line', where wireless communications and broadcasting remained operational. General Miller, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, along with many high-ranking military officials stood nearby, the nuclear football placed right where she could see it—taunting her.

"Madam Secretary, are you ready?" Chief Justice Williams asked, urgently. The Justice was without his signatory black robes. Instead, he was currently in a gray and black jogger suit. Marsha comically imagined the man being evacuated amidst an afternoon jog.

Marsha nodded, and leaned forward while maintaining steady eye contact, "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"I'm afraid not, Madam Secretary."

"Well then, there's a war to wage. Let's get this started."

"Place your hand on the bible then," Justice Williams said.

Complying, Marsha firmly placed her hand on a bible that one of the aides currently held outstretched towards her. It was somewhat comical. Of so many high-ranking officials, not a single one had been carrying a bible. They had to borrow one from one of the aides in the lower levels of the complex.

Justice Williams breathed in, then exhaled, "Now, repeat after me: I, Marsha Faith Kelly, do solemnly swear,"

Marsha began to repeat his words:

"That I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States, so help me God," Marsha finished.

"Madam President, please, we can't waste time," General Miller announced as he thrust the Nuclear Football onto the central table, in front of her.

The 48th President of the United States, Marsha Faith Kelly, walked forward to the table in the middle of the room as aides and non-essentials were rushed out of the room.

"Where are we launching these things?" President Kelly queried as soon as the door shut.

"Every major city along the Eastern Seaboard. Anywhere with confirmed spatial anomalies."

Marsha shook her head slightly, "we better be right about this General. The gravity of this situation compels it."

"I am well aware, Madam President. The decision was not made lightly, but it's the last resort. Everyone in Washington is either dead, irretrievable, or has been evacuated. We can suspect the same regarding other cities around the country."

Marsha wasn't going to ask for further explanation on what the General meant on irretrievable. She had already resolved to follow through, further doubts would be useless. With ground forces tied down, ballistic missiles were the last resort. No President should ever have to face the prospect of firing warheads onto American Soil, but here she was, forced to confront that awful reality.

"Open it," Marsha directed.

The designated 'carrier' set the briefcase on the table and opened it. With the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs present, the launch codes were authorized.

They waited several agonizing moments for launch trajectories to be confirmed. But nothing.

"General... Why is nothing happening?" Marsha yelled, her temper beginning to flare up once more.

"Communications with Milstar is... Compromised. Attempts to redirect launch codes through aerial communication outlets are meeting mixed results. We've only connected with nuclear delivery systems within the Washington D.C. area... We can proceed with the launch, but all other nuclear delivery orders have failed to reach their targets."

Marsha's lips tightened. The situation was deteriorating, that much was clear. But even a limited launch was better than nothing.

"Proceed, General."

With a nod, alarms rang across the entire underground complex. "Nuclear strike inbound." The Alarms signaled the success of at least the limited nuclear response.

Several minutes later, Baltimore and Washington D.C. were erased from the map. The history of both cities extinguished in a larger sacrifice for the fate of humanity.

Confirmations of the destabilized wormholes emerged an hour later.

A small victory had just been won by humanity, but to some, the cost was enormous. It was clear that tactical nuclear strikes would need to be kept to a minimum, and alternatives explored as the regions were left desolate following the detonations.

Now, President Marsha Kelly was faced with the enormity of the task involved in leading a nation in the midst of collapse. Yet, she remained resolved. If she had anything to do about it, the nation would not fall.