"What? They launched Chinese nukes?" John Miller asked bewildered.

"Yes sir. We are launching our anti-nuclear missiles now. This is the first time they will be used in a real combat situation. With advanced guidance systems on board, I am fairly certain we will be able to destroy the nukes in air before they arrive." General Howard replied.

"And what are the consequences, supposing we are successful, of a midair detonation?" John wondered.

"There will be some radiation released. Though it will be spread out over a wide area, and with some luck rain will help to further dilute that. Also a large electromagnetic pulse, which will knock out a variety of electronics across a wide area." General Howard responded.

"Jesus, I guess that is better than the alternative. Now what is it that you needed to tell me about our nukes?" John asked, even more worried.

"Sir that is where I have a bit of good news for you. Our hacking team was having problems getting into the AI, so they decided to do something clever. They added a layer to make the terrorists believe that they had hacked into the football. The terrorists took the bait and we can see where they were targeting. They planned on using our nukes to go after several of our enemies who have nuclear weapons now, such as Russia, Iran and North Korea. But fortunately they didn't have access to our real nukes." General Howard answered.

"So they were trying to start a full on nuclear war, by making it look like we were the aggressors. Certainly an evil but brilliant plan." John said.

John stood while thinking for a moment in silence.

"Where else are the Chinese missiles targeting?" John wondered.

"Several European countries." General Howard replied.

"Get me on the phone with the leaders of each one now. We need to make sure that they know what is going on. We don't need full blown hostilities between China and Europe." John ordered.

"I am on it right now." Rosa Benavidez stated.

"Have we found Han Xin yet?" John asked.

"No sir there has been no sign of him or Qi Lian, but the men are searching the water now with the help of lights from the helicopters." General Howard replied.

"We need to get the Code Blue soldiers back to safety, before an EMP knocks out the helicopters." John said.

"Yes sir, I will give the orders to get back to a base immediately." General Howard responded.

John again began searching through the feeds of Code Blue soldiers. Hoping that he would be able to catch sight of Han Xin, or Qi Lian. For a while he saw no sign of either, until finally landing on a soldier who was now sitting across from Qi Lian. John was quite relieved to see her alive and hopeful that she had managed to eliminate Han Xin.

John could see the defeat on Qi Lian's face. He recognized the sense of failure, that he was also feeling at that moment, in her. Of the two of them, John knew he was the bigger failure. John had all of the resources of the entire United States at his fingertips and had been unable to stop Han Xin. Qi Lian had essentially no resources aside from her wit and super human traits. And yet she had done more to stop Han than John had.

John looked away as tears began to fill Qi Lian's eyes. He didn't know if these were tears of anger, or frustration, or sadness. It didn't matter though, he felt that pain. Tears began to well up in his eyes as well.

John took a few moments by himself to regain his composure. He did not want his staff, or anyone for that matter, to see him this way. He needed to at least put on a strong face for the rest of the world. That was his duty as President of the United States, to be strong in times of adversity.

"Please let me talk to Qi Lian." John said.

The technician gave John the thumbs up when they were ready for John to talk to the soldier who was sitting opposite of Qi Lian. As per the usual, the technician had informed the soldier that he would be communicating directly with the President.

"Soldier could you please put me on speaker so I can talk directly to Qi Lian?" John asked.

"Yes sir, Mr. President." The Code Blue soldier replied, doing as requested.

"Qi Lian, I am truly sorry for all that you have lost these past couple of days. But I want you to know that without your bravery many more people would have died. You should know that we should be able to intercept all of the nuclear weapons that are heading for the United States and we have shut down any attempts to hack our own nuclear football, which has now been recovered. This is all thanks to you." John said.

Qi Lian nodded her head, still crying. This was something she had never done in her life, and oddly crying seemed to make her feel a bit better. But she found it difficult to speak at the moment.

"We were unable to find Han Xin before ordering the evacuation of the area. Did you happen to see him?" John asked.

Qi Lian took a moment to compose herself.

"He is dead. I drowned him. He got what he deserved." Was all that Qi Lian could muster. She returned to crying now.

"We cannot thank you enough for what you have done Qi Lian. When all of the dust finally settles from this day, I would like to have you come to Washington D.C. A well earned Presidential medal of freedom will be awaiting you upon your arrival." John explained to Qi Lian.

"All that I need from you right now Mr. President is the best medical care that you can provide for Clayton Johnson. He is my primary concern." Qi Lian managed to request.

"I assure you that he will get the best care, from the best doctors we can provide Qi Lian. I have to go now, as there are world leaders waiting to hear from me at the moment. But I am truly grateful to you for all you have done." John said in a heartfelt manner.

John now switched off the camera. He took a moment to switch into full President mode and turned on the screen with Prime Minister Ellen Davies from the U.K. She didn't look too happy at the moment and John knew he had a lot of explaining to do.