The Eye of Shiva

CHAPTER 38

President James Rice sat behind Teddy Roosevelt's desk in the Oval Office, meeting with General Holden from the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary of State, Edgar Silverby. Tension was escalating between Pakistan and India. An emergency session of the UN Security Council was set for the next day.

Outside the bullet proof windows of the Oval Office, the day shone with the luminous quality of fall. Rice wished he was home in Vermont, with nothing more important to do than rake leaves and watch the colors turn.

Public anger over the embassy attack was running high and Rice was under a lot of pressure to do something about it. What he was supposed to do or how he was supposed to do it was conveniently left unsaid. Politically speaking, the situation was more toxic than Chernobyl.

The media was having a field day fanning the outrage. The hawks in the Senate wanted the White House to send advisors and advanced missile defense systems to India. They were pushing for drone strikes against Pakistan as an initial statement of American anger. Even the doves were screaming for tough sanctions.

While the politicians postured for their constituents, the situation between India and Pakistan continued to deteriorate. There had been clashes along the border with Kashmir and casualties on both sides. What had happened at the American Embassy was no longer Rice's biggest concern. The events in Manila were overshadowed by a larger danger.

"Just spit it out, general," Rice said. "Are they, or are they not going to war?"

"It's hard to say, sir. But in my opinion, yes, they are. The troop buildups along the border are significant."

Rice turned to Silverby. "What do you think, Ed? Is there any hope of a diplomatic solution?"

"I hate to say it but I don't think so, Mister President. I agree with General Holden. New Delhi and Islamabad have recalled their ambassadors and broken off relations. I'm getting stonewalled by both sides. Pakistan's Foreign Minister warned me that there could be an unfortunate escalation in terrorist activities if we help India."

Rice suppressed his anger. "He actually said that?"

"Yes, Mister President."

"The man is an idiot if he thinks threatening us is going to make any difference. At least we know where they stand. What about the U.N. emergency meeting?"

Silverby made a dismissive gesture. "We have to go through the motions but it's a waste of time. It's not going to affect anything unless Pakistan admits responsibility for the attacks and offers reparations. You can be certain that's not going to happen. Russia will block any of our initiatives. On the bright side, we might have support from China for a change. They don't like what's happening."

Holden cleared his throat. "Mister President, there is a potentially serious complication. India has modified their latest ICBM to deploy multiple reentry warheads. It's called the Agni VI."

"India has MIRVS? When did this happen?"

"They've been working on it for several years. The latest intelligence indicates that several of the new missiles are ready to go into service."

"Does that mean they are not yet on line?"

"We're not certain, sir. What makes a bad situation worse is that the Agni VI is fired from a portable launcher. Launch time is almost nothing. The multiple warheads tilt the balance of power in India's favor. It gives them the potential to knock out the Pakis before they can get off a shot."

Rice looked at General Holden with concern. "Pakistan is one of the most paranoid countries in the world," he said. "If they think India is going to deploy that missile, it could provoke a first strike."

"Sir, we are maintaining 24/7 surveillance on the missile facilities in both countries," Holden said. "We know the location of the new Indian missiles. If they bring them out of their tunnels, we'll know about it. Once they do that, if they do that, they could launch within minutes. Pakistan has its own satellite surveillance and I'd be surprised if they didn't have an eye on the site. They'll see the same thing we do. I think if those missiles come into the open, we're looking at nuclear war on the subcontinent."

Holden's words hung heavy in the air.

Rice steepled his hands together. "What is your recommendation, General?"

"Mister President, this is a very volatile situation. I recommend we go to DEFCON 2 immediately. DEFCON 3 for our units in the Asian region."

"That will escalate tensions in the area," Rice said.

"Yes, sir, but raising the defense condition level now saves valuable time if it becomes necessary to go further. If war begins, it will happen very quickly."

"Sir, I think a higher state of readiness for our forces in the area would be expected," Silverby said. "It's no secret that this latest showdown holds the potential for nuclear confrontation. China is as worried about this as we are. After all, it's happening on their doorstep."

Holden nodded agreement. "There are signs of military preparations on the Chinese side of the border. They're worried, all right. The Agni VI is highly sophisticated but some of India's older missiles aren't very accurate. It wouldn't take much for one of them to end up in China if they fire them at Pakistan."

Rice turned to his Secretary of State. "Ed, I want you to get on the horn with the Chinese Foreign Minister and work out a mutually acceptable position to present at the U.N. Emphasize that we're willing to cooperate with Beijing to keep this from escalating. The Russians have been supplying heavy weapons to India that we wouldn't sell them, so however you word it, try not to piss them off. Run it by me when you've worked it out."

"Yes, Mister President."

"General, go ahead and implement your recommendations for DEFCON status. Inform the rest of the Chiefs that I want a meeting tonight at 2100 in the situation room. I want to see alternate scenarios for our military response in the event things get out of hand."

"Yes, sir."

Rice stood. Holden and Silverby rose with him.

"Thank you, gentlemen."

When they were gone, Rice walked over and looked out over the White House lawn. The Secret Service didn't like him doing that, even with the bullet proof windows. Rice absentmindedly rubbed his chest, where he'd taken a bullet during the last assassination attempt.

Rice held the record for assassination attempts on American presidents. Everyone who made it to the Oval Office faced the threat of assassination. Plots were uncovered and stopped on a daily basis. Most of them amounted to nothing, idle threats, drunken plans, the ramblings of men with a grudge to bear. But with Rice there had been four near misses. All of them had scarred him in some way.

He'd come into office hoping he could do good for the country. Instead, he'd spent most of his time dealing with problems caused by men seeking power and wealth or by fanatics who believed God had given them a mission to conquer the world and destroy the United States.

Rice was worried about what was happening on the subcontinent. Pakistan and India had already fought four wars and the hatred between them was virulent and deep. Horrific atrocities between Hindus and Muslims had scarred the collective soul of the two nations for centuries. It was an unbridgeable chasm, exploited by religious leaders and opportunistic politicians on both sides. Rice thought there was a good chance a war would go nuclear.

He was supposed to be the most powerful leader in the world, but he was helpless to do much about nuclear weapons in the hands of people driven by ego and religious dogma.

Sometimes power was little more than an illusion.