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what each of the two sides would ask of the United States.
    “Folks,” Burkmeister said, “I truly appreciate your insights. It’s clear that we don’t know where either country will go from here—at least for now. Nothing we can do about that. About all we can do for now is upgrade the alert level of our military forces, continue collecting every possible scrap of intel we can, and be prepared for whatever deals Japan and China will attempt to make.” Looking down on his notes, he said, “Let me recap what we’ve got so far. Japan will probably appeal to us, as a long-time partner in the Pacific, to side with them. That might take the form of a strong statement in their favor, declaring our mutual friendship. They might call on us to send elements of the Seventh Fleet to support them in a joint naval action against China. Depending on their losses, they might ask us to help make good on the oil they lost from their sunken platforms. For sure, they’ll ask us to use our influence with other Western powers to condemn China in the UN.”
    He paused, grimacing in pain, and had to regain his train of thought. The attendees looked on with concern.
    “With regard to China, we can expect they’ll threaten to use their economic leverage against us if we don’t do certain things. What specifically, we don’t know, but we can assume they’ll press us to take a stand against Japan or, at a minimum, remain neutral as the two countries sort it out. They’ll ask us to use our influence to ensure the West does not mobilize against them, call for trade sanctions or a reprimand in the UN—that sort of thing. Does that about sum it up, folks?”
    As his team agreed, Burkmeister looked at his watch and said, “It’s been a long day, and this thing is just starting to unfold. Let’s get everyone working this from every angle and reconvene at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. Let’s keep a lid on our response: instruct your staffs to respond to any news inquiries with the usual ‘we are studying the issue and have no comments at this time’ statement, and limit your conversations on this to those with a need to know. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Thanks so much for coming.”
    Secretary of Defense Thompson interjected, “Mr. President, how will you respond to either Prime Minister Sato Itsuke or Chairman Lin Cheng if they call you?”
    Lyman Burkmeister, president of the United States and perhaps still the most powerful man in the free world, looked down for a moment, took a deep breath, and said, “I honestly can’t tell you just now. All I know is that they may well be among the most important conversations I’ll ever have as your president. I’m expecting their calls within the next twelve hours, and I’m sure I’ll be doing a lot of reflecting and praying before those calls come in.”

6
    The White House
14 September 2017
    L yman Burkmeister looked at the clock and contemplated getting up, even though it was only 4:45 in the morning. Since turning in at 11:30 last night, his body and soul had faced an all-out assault from his subconscious mind and the gremlins occupying his body. He couldn’t shut off the replays—from every conceivable angle—of his contentious conversation with Prime Minister Sato Itsuke of Japan. The gremlins had attacked his body with excruciating stomach pains and the mother of all hot flashes. The day had not yet begun, and he was spent.
    A hot shower provided a modicum of relief from the fatigue and the clammy feeling he had throughout the night, but the stomach cramps continued unabated. He listened to three news stations while getting dressed, and it was clear that the Chunxiao Incident had generated a trail of financial carnage in the Asian and European markets. The economic tsunami would soon hit Wall Street, and the thought made him shudder.
    He had been working in the Oval Office for about half an hour when the expected call from Chairman Lin Cheng was put through. Taking a few deep breaths,