David Golemon - Ancients

"No, she didn't. The blue swirls listed are accurate faults, but the thicker red lines are a mystery. So either the Atlanteans knew something we didn't and placed faults and plates that we can't see today, or--"

Sarah jumped up and ran out of the clean room. She took the elevator down to the engineering lab, where Pete Golding was still studying the plate and its hologram. Sarah ran right into the middle of the floating map and started looking for a design she had seen earlier.

"Sarah, what's the matter?" Pete asked.

Sarah finally found the design she had seen during the demonstration. It was a Key they hadn't recognized earlier. As she examined it, Pete started looking over her shoulder.

"This fault pattern here, Europa has confirmed it is accurate. This line here beneath it is the continental plate, the same here in Europe and Asia. I didn't recognize patterns in the shape of the continents earlier--only the North and South American plates, because of their unique shape. What's confusing me is that this same pattern is on the map Jack recovered from Westchester. Now that I see it on the hologram, I can tell it runs under both the faults and the tectonic plates. Now look at this," she said to Pete as her fingers traced a series of lines that led from one plate to the next, to the next, and so on. Some of the lines branched out and dwindled to nothing, like the branches of a tree, while the thicker, stronger lines connected the tectonic plates of the world by underground magma veins.

"What are you saying?"

"Somehow, the Atlantean scientists found a way to map what we can't do today. They found out that all the continents and the plates they sit on are in actuality connected."

Pete looked closer at the design, then his eyes widened as he finally pieced together what Sarah was driving at.

"Any massive assault on one tectonic plate could trigger a chain reaction around the world."

"Wouldn't the Coalition ... wouldn't they have seen this?" Pete asked.

"Not without this three-dimensional design they wouldn't. They didn't have the plate map, so they could never have known about it."

"Oh, Sarah, if they use this device on any of these major plates--"

"They could either shift entire continents ... or blow the planet to hell."

The most important meeting in the long and storied history of the Event Group was about to begin. The president's National Security Council was about to be formally introduced to several of the Event Group members. The Group's background would remain hidden from them, as the council thought they were to be briefed by Compton's secret think tank. Nevada and Ethiopia could see the council via video link.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are very short of time here. The briefings will be short and to the point. Questions will be relayed to me and I will ask them," Niles said, sitting at the head of the table next to the president.

"Secretary of Defense Johnson, if you please."

"As of this moment, the situation in Korea, while not yet stable, has cooled somewhat. We have pulled back all defensive troops from the border and have entrenched around Seoul. The armored divisions of Kim Jong Il have not made any threatening gestures as of yet, but CIA reports there is tension between Kim and at least one of his generals in the field. We will get more on that in the next few hours. On reinforcing, we have deployed the Hundred and First and Eighty-second Airborne to act as rapid deployment out of Japan."

As everyone watched, pictures started flashing on monitors in Washington, Nevada, and Addis Abba.

"The Chinese and Russians are massing heavy bomber and fighter forces at their Pacific bases. They are not lowering their defense status even with the Coalition evidence we have provided them. We have the Eisenhower and Nimitz carrier groups steaming for the Sea of Japan, but it will take at least five more days to deploy them defensively." The secretary paused and removed his glasses. "We are spread thin. If anything outside of Korea erupts, we will be desperate to cover it."

Niles nodded in thanks. Then he turned to the head of the FBI. "Any word on the forensics end from Chicago?"

"We have concluded that none of the bodies found inside the house are that of William Tomlinson. We must surmise he escaped," he said angrily.

"Mr. President, my people have come up with several pieces of information that will be important to this meeting. I ask that close attention be paid to the military aspects of what is said because the shortages the secretary of defense spoke of are a very serious problem if what we think is happening is accurate."

The president nodded.

"Several of you know Colonel Jack Collins. Colonel, explain what you have uncovered on the Coalition and its whereabouts, please."

As briefly as possible, Jack explained what they had learned about the Coalition thus far. He explained the confrontation and failure at Pearl Harbor and the results of Dahlia's interrogation. Then came the shocker.

"In essence, the Coalition is going to strike at the Chinese and Russian nations within a short time frame. We have traced the Coalition hierarchy to a base on Crete, and this base is heavily defended."

"Ken, we need intelligence on this Crete operation as soon as possible," the president said.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs nodded. "I will order photo recon overflights immediately."

"May I recommend satellite surveillance only, or we may tip our hand that we know where they are," Collins stated from the Ethiopian consulate.

"General, this will involve retasking a few satellites. You better get Space Command on it right away," the president ordered.

"Now, Jack, do we have any ideas on how we can assault the island with the few assets we have in the area?" Niles asked.

"A nuclear strike is out of the question because of the civilian population. Even if we could manage evacuating the populace, we believe the Coalition operation is under ground--very deep under ground, where air strikes are not possible. I'm afraid we have to do this the hard way."

"Colonel Collins, on Dr. Compton's recommendation, I am placing you in command of all operations outside of the actual assault. General Caulfield will coordinate with field command. Gentlemen, plan it well."

The president didn't say it outright, but he had just ordered the planning stage for the invasion of Atlantis.

Major General Ton Shi Quang was looking at the opportunity of a lifetime. The Americans had retreated without a shot fired, leaving positions that had been prepared since the end of the conflict in the 1950s.

Thus far, he had been on the phone no fewer than five times to the Great Leader himself, telling him that he could make an offensive run right around the Americans and destroy the South Korean army, which was sitting up defensive positions two hundred miles farther south. The American Second Infantry Division would be completely cut off, where they would die or be forced to surrender.

Of course, Quang knew that he wouldn't be there for the great victory or when the Americans started lobbing nuclear weapons onto his troops. Instead, he would be far from the battle zone, waiting for his Coalition partners to make him a very, very rich man.

Still, the Great Leader was hesitant, as if the Americans were starting to get the full truth through to his addled brain. He could not allow Kim to fade in his desire to get retribution for the earthquakes. The Chinese and the Russians had swayed him in order to allow things to settle over the last two days. General Quang now had to start the war in earnest, which was what he was being paid for.