Read World War III for Free Online

California, and what had now become the front line of World War III.

Air Force One
     
     
    World War III – Day One
    The Sky above Virginia
     
    “Who attacked us?” demanded President John Hamilton, staring out his office window onboard Air Force One. At this altitude, all that could be seen was a grey haze of clouds. He could only imagine what the Earth looked like, far below.
    “That hasn’t been confirmed yet, Mr. President,” answered Chief of Staff, Mathew Moore. In his hand was a list of American cities which had been destroyed by the nuclear assault. “The missiles were launched from multiple locations and we’re still trying to identify the exact points of origin.”
    President Hamilton swallowed the remainder of scotch in his glass and stared gloomily at the half-melted ice. Leaning forward he picked up the crystal decanter on his desk and poured himself another glass. His hand felt shaky as he brought the glass to his lips. He rolled the amber liquid around in his mouth, enjoying its rich, woody flavor before swallowing. “How could this happen? What is happening? We’re supposed to be the most powerful nation in the World! Now we’re barely a nation at all! Who’d be stupid enough to attack us? Who could possibly even have the force to attack us?”
    “We know for sure that some of the missiles originated from China and others from Russia,” Moore cleared his throat. “But it also appears that many of the missiles came from the Middle East and possibly North Korea. We’re still trying to verify that.”
    “Possibly?” retorted President Hamilton. “I don’t want to hear about possibilities! I want to know the facts!”
    “Yes Mr. President.” Moore looked down at the glass of scotch in the President’s hand, longing for a drink.
    The President sighed, “I apologize for being short with you but I have a historic decision to make and I need credible intelligence. “Is it possible that Iran is retaliating against us for not helping them during their war with Israel?” asked the President, recalling the short campaign to remove Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
    After several successful air strikes, on multiple nuclear power plants and missile silos, the Iranian government surrendered. The entire conflict had lasted less than a month and in its wake Israel reclaimed territory that the Jewish people had previously owned; including Jordan, Lebanon, and parts of Egypt, Syria Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Israel’s borders have swelled to the extent that a defensive wall surrounding the nation was no longer feasible.
    “I don’t see why they’d attack us,” replied Moore. “After all, we didn’t help Israel either.”
    “No, but we didn’t stop them from reclaiming lost territory,” pointed out Hamilton.
    “It’s likely that Iran is involved,” agreed Moore, “but our data suggests that we’ve been attacked by more than just one enemy. And why would they come after us when they can’t even handle a tiny nation like Israel?”
    “They might, if they had powerful allies leading the charge. What happened to mutually assured destruction?” The President slammed his glass down on his mahogany desk, spilling some of the scotch. “Are we prepared to launch a counter assault?” A part of Hamilton wished the answer would be no, but regardless, he knew he couldn’t shirk his responsibility to strike back.
    “Yes Mr. President,” said Secretary of Defense Benjamin Benson. “We are awaiting your order sir.” Benson stared down at his black Italian loafers, wishing he was anywhere but here. Well…maybe not anywhere, considering what was happening down below.
    “I need to know exactly who hit us so we can pay them back in-kind. I don’t want to make this worse by striking the wrong countries. Get me verifiable intelligence now!” ordered the President.
    “Yes Mr. President, we’re trying,” replied Benson. “Before the nuclear strike, several EMP devices were detonated in the atmosphere