Chapter 39 Chapter 36 Weapon Effects

Yankee Weaver should have been the first to know that something was wrong.His eyes were fixed on the car at the time, and he was walking towards the car less than forty feet away, but the speed of the human nervous system is measured in microseconds, and the speed is not fast enough. It was too late to tell myself what happened. The moment the radiation hit the policeman, the nuclear fission reaction of the bomb had just ended.These are mainly gamma rays, which are actually photons, which are the same as the particles that make up light waves, but with much higher energy.Those photons also hit the truck's body, causing its steel panels to glow like neon signs.Immediately after gamma rays are X-rays, which are also composed of photons, but with lower energy.The effect of these rays on Yan Keweiqu's body is not much different. He may be the first person to die.This wave of intense radiation was almost immediately absorbed by his bones, and after rapidly heating the bones, it immediately turned white hot, and at the same time, all the nerve cells in his brain were stimulated, as if there were flashlights in each nerve cell Same as soaking.In fact, Yankee Weaver couldn't notice anything at all.He was literally shattered, his body exploded after absorbing too much energy, and other radiation continued to pass through his body.But gamma rays and X-rays travel in all directions at the speed of light, and their subsequent effects were not predicted by anyone.

After the bomb exploded, the body of the car where the bomb was placed has now been blasted into molecular-sized metal particles, and ABC's Group A satellite broadcast team is next to it.The staff in the OB truck, like Yang Keweiqu, didn't have enough time to feel any pain.All the sophisticated and expensive electronic equipment in this car was blown up together with its operators.But the big parabolic dish at the rear of the car is different, pointing up to the southern sky like a radar dish.In the center of the dish antenna, there is something like a flower bud, which is the waveguide.This thing is basically a metal tube with a square intersection, the inside of which is about as long and as wide as the wavelength of the radio waves it broadcasts, and it's facing right now above the equator at 22,600 A satellite broadcasts a signal in Mile High.

The first was the waveguide of group A, followed by the same device on the OB truck lined up to the west of it, all of which were irradiated with gamma rays and X-rays.In this process, the electrons in the metal atoms are knocked out of their original positions, but in some cases, the waveguide is coated with a layer of gold foil, which can slow down the reaction process and immediately release their energy in the form of photons.These photons form light waves of about the same frequency as a satellite communication transmitter.However, there is a difference: these OB vans can never send out radio wave power as high as one kilowatt, and under normal circumstances, the output power is much lower than this figure.However, the energy conversion of the waveguide in group A released nearly one million watts of energy in a short peak pulse in less than one millionth of a second. At this time, the disc-shaped The antenna and the truck underneath were also vaporized by the front of the same energy wave at the same time.The same thing happened next with the national broadcasting station's group B broadcast van, and then it was the turn of the TWI company's broadcast van.The radio van of NHK, which broadcasts the Super Bowl live to Japan, is the fourth of the train.There are eight more.All were destroyed.The whole process took about fifteen shakes.The satellites that these dishes are aimed at are quite far away.It takes about an eighth of a second for this energy wave to reach the satellite, which seems almost an eternity compared to the previous process.

The explosion that came next and now the truck has become part of the explosion is light and heat.The first visible light shot out before the expanding fireball blocked it.A second ray of visible light shortly thereafter also shone in all directions, thus producing the biphasic pulse that is a characteristic of nuclear explosions. The next energy effect is the blast wave.Actually this is a secondary effect.The air absorbs too much of the soft x-rays and burns into a barrier mass that further blocks electromagnetic radiation and transforms into a stream of mechanical energy traveling at several times the speed of sound waves, but before this mechanical energy has a chance to destroy anything , a lot is happening further afield.

ABC's basic video broadcast system was basically a high-quality landline distribution network of fiber optic cables, but the cables from Team A's broadcast vans had been severed long before the stadium was destroyed.The alternate relay system was via the 301 Satellite, and 302 to the Pacific Rim.ABC uses the ground receiving stations of Skynet-1 and Skynet-2 to keep in touch with each satellite.Together with Telestar 301 is TWI, which bought the world broadcast rights to every NFL game and simulcast the entire game to most of Europe, plus Egypt and Israel. TWI company transmits the same picture signal to all its European customers, and also provides related facilities for independent broadcasting channels in different European languages, usually more than one language is used in a European country.For example, Spain has a total of five dialects, each with its own channel.Japan's NHK TV station uses both JISO|F2R and the West Star 4 satellite, which is usually rented around the clock. The latter is owned and operated by Hughes Aerospace Corporation.The Italian TV network rents Channel 1 of Big Ball Satellite (owned by Intelsat) to provide its own audience with a live broadcast of the Super Bowl, and also serves those in Dubai and those not connected through TWI and Telestar. some of the Israeli audience.The second channel of the big ball satellite is allocated to most countries in South America.So at the same time, whether it's in the stadium or at a distance, there are CNN cable news networks, ABC's own news department, CBS News Network, and ESPN and other networks.Denver's local TV stations also deployed their own OB vans on site, mainly renting out to outside customers.

Therefore, there are a total of 37 satellite OB vans on site, using microwave or Ku-band transmitters to generate a total of 48 video channels and 168 audio channels, broadcasting megabytes to fans in 71 countries around the world. During the broadcast, gamma rays and X-rays were irradiated on these vehicles. Most of the waveguides on the vehicles produced a signal immediately after being irradiated, but the waveguides on six of the vehicles that were irradiated first , then immediately produce a huge pulse with exactly the same frequency.Even this is irrelevant to the consequences.Because of the resonance and other non-correlated irregularities in the still-pipe, it means that a large part of the frequency range used by the satellite is included in this sudden noise.There were only two communications satellites in orbit in the entire Western Hemisphere that were not occupied by the Denver TV crew.What happened to these satellites is actually quite simple.Those sensitive antennas on satellites were originally designed to pick up signals at one-megawatt levels.Yet now, on many different channels, they're suddenly being bombarded with a thousand to ten thousand times more signals.At the same time, this signal overloaded the same number of preamplifiers on the satellite.The computer software that manages the satellite noticed this and started to activate the isolation switch to prevent this trip from damaging sensitive equipment on the satellite.If this kind of thing only affects one radio wave receiver, the communication can be restored immediately, and nothing will happen again, but the commercial communication satellite system is an extremely expensive product, and the cost itself is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It costs hundreds of millions of dollars to launch into orbit.When more than five amplifiers record a power outage, the software will automatically shut down the circuit to avoid severe damage to the entire satellite circuit.When more than twenty amplifiers are affected, this software will further cut off all the circuits on the satellite, and send an emergency signal to the ground control station, informing the ground that something serious has just happened to the satellite.All of the security software on these satellites is modified from a single very conservative software to protect trillions of dollars of almost irreplaceable assets.Therefore, in the blink of an eye, many parts of the satellite communication system in the world seem to have no existence at all.Cable and television broadcasting systems shut down completely, even before the technicians operating the satellites knew something was wrong.

Dawkins paused to catch his breath.He pictured himself protecting the armored armored vehicle, not being lazy.The guard of the armored van was pushing hundreds of pounds of quarters away, and the cop was sitting, leaning on the pile of money bags full of coins, listening to the radio broadcast of the game.The Chargers advanced five yards on third down from the Vikings' forty-seven-yard line.At this time, the gradually darkening sky outside suddenly turned orange, and then red, not the friendly, gentle red of sunset, but a strong purple, and it was very bright.He hardly had time to notice that the light was attacking a million other things almost simultaneously.The ground beneath him was suddenly turned upside down.The armored car was overthrown like a toy kicked by a child.The open rear door slammed shut with such a loud sound as if a cannonball had hit it.The body of the armored vehicle protected Dawkins from the blast, and the structure of the stadium served the same purpose, but Dawkins hadn't had time to figure it out.But even so, he was nearly blinded by the flash, and deafened by the wave of overpressure that surrounded him like a giant hand.If Dawkins hadn't been spinning so violently, he might have thought of an earthquake, but he didn't even think of that.But he did think about surviving.The noise didn't stop, the vibration showed no sign of stilling, and when he realized he was trapped in a car with fifty gallons of gas in the tank, he blinked, tried to see, and started Climb out of the shattered windshield to where the light is now visible.He didn't notice that his arms looked worse than the sunburns he'd had in the past.He didn't even know he was deaf.All he knew was to crawl to where there was light.

On the outskirts of Moscow, in a concrete bunker with a thickness of 60 meters on top, is the national command center of the Soviet Home Defense Air Force (Annotation: The Soviet Home Defense Air Force is an independent service independent of the Soviet Army, Navy and Air Force).This is a newly opened facility of the Home Defense Force, and its design resembles the form of a western theater.Because this design can allow the most people to see the map display screen displayed on a large wall at the same time, which is convenient for these people to perform duties.It is 3:00:13 in the morning local time. According to a number on a digital clock on the display screen, this time is equivalent to 0:00:13 in the morning of Greenwich Mean Time, which is also 7:00 pm in Washington DC Zero minutes and thirteen seconds.

On duty tonight was Major General Crobankin, a former fighter pilot who he liked to say was now, fifty-one years old.He is the third-highest-ranking person in the unit, but he still has to take on the daily shift.Although his rank is quite high, he can choose some more convenient time to be on duty, but the new Soviet army should be based on professionalism, and he believes that he must lead these professional officers by example.Sitting around him was his usual combat staff, headed mainly by field officers, with some lieutenants running errands. The main task of the home defense force is to prevent the Soviet Union from attack.However, in this age of missiles, all countries have no effective means of defense against ballistic missiles. The United States and the Soviet Union are still working hard in this regard.Crobankin didn't like this, but there was nothing he could do about it.In the geostationary satellite orbit deployed by the Soviet Union over the coast of Peru, there are a pair of satellites called Eagle I and Eagle II. Location.The pair of satellites can also monitor the launch of submarine ballistic missiles in the Gulf of Alaska, although the monitoring of the extreme north sometimes depends on the weather conditions. For example, the area like the surveillance screen is blurred at this time.The displays transmitted from the two Eagle satellites are monitored in the infrared spectrum, which measures heat sources on the ground.The picture presented on the display screen is exactly the same as that received by the satellite lens, without the addition of national borders and other computer-generated data. The Soviet designers believe that it is completely unnecessary to squeeze these data on the display screen.Crobankin didn't look at the display screen at that time. Instead, he stared at a young officer who just didn't know what he saw on the screen and started to make calculations in a hurry.He automatically turned his head to look at the display completely unconsciously, and it took him a second to realize what was wrong.

There is a white dot in the center of the display. My goodness he dismissed the thought immediately.Aim at the area and zoom in!he ordered loudly.The colonel in charge of the controls was sitting on his right, already following his orders. Central America, General.A double flash thermal signal, possibly a nuclear explosion.The colonel said mechanically that his professional judgment had overwhelmed his inner intellectual denial. fixed coordinates. It's in progress, General.The distance from the command center to the satellite is so far that it takes a while for the command from the ground to make the satellite start to move.As the satellite's telescopic lens came into focus, the heat signature from the fireball spread rapidly in all directions.Crobankin's first impression was that it was absolutely unmistakable, and besides, it was so hot that his stomach seemed to be frozen.

It takes place in the middle of the US and looks like the city of Denver. Denver, what military installations are there in Denver?Crobankin asked.Go find it. Yes, General. Crobankin had reached for a phone.This line gave direct calls to the Ministry of Defense as well as the official residence of the President of the USSR.He spoke quickly but clearly. NOTE: This is Maj. Gen. Klobankin of the Moscow Center of the Home Defense Forces.We just discovered a nuclear explosion in the United States.I repeat: We just discovered a nuclear explosion in the United States. There was a voice cursing on the other side of the line.That could be the man on duty at President Naymonov's residence. Another voice that came out of the earpiece was the night shift officer of the Ministry of National Defense at this time, which was more organized.Are you sure about this matter? Double flashing signal, Crobankin replied, surprised at his own calmness.I am now seeing the fireball start to expand.This is definitely a nuclear event.What will I let you know as soon as I have more information?he asked one of his men. General, Eagle Two has just received a sudden burst of energy, four SHF channels have just been temporarily turned off, and one has completely burned out.said a major leaning on the general's desk. What happened, what's going on? I don't know. Find out as soon as possible. Just as the San Diego team was about to attack at the forty-seven yard line, suddenly the whole picture disappeared.Fowler had finished his fourth glass of beer at this point, and he put the glass down in displeasure.Damn TV.Maybe someone accidentally kicked a wire and loosened the plug, causing him to miss a good shot or two of the fight.He should have disregarded the advice of the Secret Service and went to the scene to watch the football game.He turned to see what Elliott was looking at, but Elliott's screen suddenly went blank.Did the Marine outside accidentally snap the TV cable while driving the snowplow?It's really hard to find a good helper, the president thought.But no, it shouldn't be.Baltimore's Channel 13, a subsidiary of ABC, and WJZ put out a message saying that there is a network problem, please wait, but Elliott's movie channel is now just some meaningless noise.How strange.Like any male TV viewer, Fowler picked up the TV remote and started turning the channels.There was also no picture on CNN, but not on local stations in Washington and Baltimore.He was just beginning to wonder what the hell was going on when the phone rang.Its sound was an unusual high-pitched sound that suggested it was coming from one of four phones that sat under the coffee table in front of his sofa.Before he knew which phone it was, he instinctively reached for it, but when he knew it, he couldn't help but shudder.It was the red phone, the one to NORAD in Cheyenne, Colorado. I am the president.Fowler asked in a hesitant, suddenly fearful voice. Mr. President, this is Lieutenant General Bostein.I'm the senior officer in charge of the NORAD watch tonight.Sir, we just detected a nuclear detonation in the middle of the United States. What?Fowler said after a pause of two or three seconds. Sir, there was just a nuclear explosion in the United States.We're checking the exact location right now, but the location of the explosion is clearly in the Denver area. are you sure?the president asked, trying to remain calm. We're rechecking our instruments now, sir, but yes, we're pretty sure.Sir, we don't know what happened, or how the bomb got there, but there was a nuclear explosion there.While we search for the truth of the matter, I ask you to seek refuge in a safe place immediately. Fowler looked up at the TV.Not only did the picture on the TV not change, but now the entire Camp David presidential residence began to sound shrill sirens. Just outside of Omaha, in Nebraska, Offitt Air Force Base was originally the Army's Fort Crook.The place had originally been an outpost of the cavalry, so there were some old red-brick buildings in which the most senior officers on the base lived, and there were stables behind these houses, which were of course useless now.And in front of these buildings there is a square large enough for a whole regiment of cavalry to perform in it.A mile away is the building of the Strategic Air Command. In front of this fairly modern building, there is an old World War II antique, the B｜Seventeen Flying Fortress bomber.The new command center is also outside this building, but it was built underground, and it was only completed in 1989. The interior space is quite spacious. The local people joked that the reason why it is so spacious is that It was because Hollywood movies made this kind of command center more luxurious and spacious than the original center of the Strategic Air Force Command, and the Air Force finally decided to raise its standards to match the imagination of the movie industry. Lieutenant General Timothy, Assistant Chief of Staff of the Air Force (Operations Branch), would rather be in the underground control center than in the office upstairs on his shift tonight. The Super Bowl broadcast on one of the big-screen TVs, but at the same time, he was monitoring the actual footage from two of the Defense Support Program satellites known as DSPS for short. When he found the double flashing signal in Denver, he Not slower than anyone.The pencil in Timothy's hand dropped.Behind his combat station seat are several glass-curtained rooms with a total of two orientations. Inside these rooms are the fifty or so support personnel who keep the Strategic Air Command operating 24 hours a day.Timothy picked up the phone and called the most senior intelligence officer under his command. I see it, sir. Is there something wrong with our instrument? No, sir, the test line says the satellite is working fine. Keep me informed of any new situation, Timothy turned his head and said to his deputy chief.Please the president come here quickly.Inform everyone involved that I want a full emergency response team, and a full combat staff I want right now!He said to his combat officer again: Order our spectacle machine to take off immediately!Order all wings on alert to prepare for takeoff, and issue an immediate alert to all units. In the glass-curtained room to the left behind the general, a non-commissioned officer pushed a few buttons.Although Strategic Air Command no longer keeps some bombers in the air 24 hours a day as it used to, 30 percent of its aircraft are still on alert at all times.The messages sent to the squadron on alert were communicated through the cables on the ground in computer-synthesized voices, because at the beginning of the design, it was generally believed that humans might become too agitated at such times to speak clearly.It took about twenty seconds for these orders to be transmitted to the units, and all Wing Operations Officers on alert immediately called the pilots to take their positions. At this time, there were a total of two alert wings, one was the 416th Bombardment Wing at Griffith Air Force Base in Rome, New York, using the B|52, and the other was the Kansas The 384th Bomber Wing at McKinnon Air Force Base, California, they used B|1B bombers.All the crew members of the latter were watching the Super Bowl in the maintenance room. After hearing the siren, they rushed to the waiting vehicle outside the door and took a ride to their landline under heavy guards.The first of each four-person aircrew to reach the plane immediately ran to the nosewheel section of the nose and pressed an emergency start button, then ran to the aft boarding machine and climbed inside.Even before all the crew members were in place, the engines were started.The ground personnel removed the red cloth safety bolts inserted in various parts of the aircraft.Sentinels with rifles leave the danger zone of the aircraft and form a circle around them, pointing their weapons outward for any possible threat.Up to this point, everyone thought it was just an exercise at the wrong time. At Meconnor base, the first plane to start moving was the wing leader's personal B|-B plane.The forty-five-year-old colonel, who loves sports, parks his plane closest to the maintenance room, so he can run to his plane first.Just after his plane's four engines started and everything was clear ahead, he let off the brakes and began taxiing the plane toward the start of the runway.It took a total of two minutes, and when he got to the start of the runway, he was told to wait there. At Offitt Air Force Base, the KC|135 on alert was not subject to such restrictions.This 25-year-old Boeing 707, known as a modified version of glasses, carried a commander and a small but well-equipped combat staff group.Just as night fell, it began to take off.All the radios and communications networks on board had just been activated, and the commander on board hadn't yet figured out what was going on.On the ground below him, three other identical command planes were preparing to take off. What's the matter, Timothy?said the commander of the Strategic Air Command as he walked through the door.He was wearing civilian clothes, and he hadn't even tied his shoelaces. There was a nuclear explosion in Denver, and we just discovered some problems with the satcom network.I've ordered the alert aircraft to stand by the end of the runway.The spectacle air command plane just took off.We still don't know exactly what happened, except that there was a nuclear explosion in Denver. Order those planes to take off.The Commander of the Strategic Air Command ordered.Timothy gestured to a comms officer, who delivered the order.Twenty seconds later, the first B|-B was taxiing on the runway at McKinnon Air Force Base for takeoff. This is not the time to pay attention to demeanor and etiquette.A captain of the Marine Corps pushed open the door of the president's cabin and threw two white snowsuits to Elliott and Fowler, before even the secret service operatives had time to show their faces. Quick, sir!he said hastily.The helicopter is still down, sir. where to goConnor said that his coat hadn't been buttoned yet, and he just heard what the Marine Corps captain said just in time. Command Center, unless you disagree.Helicopters can't fly, the captain said again.Come on, sir!He almost yelled at the president. Fowler!Elliott said with a little panic.She didn't know what Fowler heard on the phone, but judging from his pale and ugly expression now, it seemed that the matter was serious.After the two put on their snowsuits, they went outside.They saw a whole platoon of Marines lying in the snow, all their guns pointed outward.Six more soldiers stood guard around the Ham jeep, its engine cranking in idle, waiting. At Naval Air Station Anacostia in Washington, D.C., the crew of Marine Two waits until the president is on board before the plane is called Marine One. Fresh from a terrible snowstorm They took off mid-air, but after a few seconds they were out of ground effect and began to see quite clearly.The major pilot turned his plane northwest, wondering what the hell was going on.The only man who knows something knows only that he doesn't know much.For those few minutes, this shouldn't matter.Like any organization, emergency response needs to be planned and carefully rehearsed in advance, in order to complete the due work when things are imminent, and reduce the hesitation and danger caused by panic. What the hell is going on in Denver that I need to know?General Crobankin asked from his underground command center outside Moscow. I don't know of anything worth noting.His intelligence officer replied honestly. You can really help, the general thought.He picked up the phone and dialed the GRU, the Soviet military intelligence service. job center.A voice answered. I am General Krobankin of the Moscow Command Center of the Territorial Defense Forces. I know why you're calling.The GRU colonel said to him. What the hell happened in Denver?Is there a storage facility for nuclear weapons, or something like that? No, General.The arsenal of the American Rockies is close to Denver for sure.But it is a center for storing chemical weapons, and it is starting to be decommissioned.Therefore, this arsenal has gradually become a supply depot for the U.S. Army Reserve, which is called the National Guard in the United States, such as tanks and mechanized equipment.Just outside Denver is Rocky Flats.They used to assemble weapons parts there, but Where is the exact location?Crobankin asked. in the northwest of the city.I believe the blast was just south of Denver, General. That's right.Please continue. Their Rocky Flats are also currently being retired.As far as we know, there shouldn't be any weapon parts stored there. Did they transport weapons through there?I must know something!The general finally could not hold back his temper. I really have nothing more to tell you.Like you, we were also kept in the dark.Maybe the National Security Council knows more, but we really don't know. Crobankin knew that one should not be shot for being too honest.He called again.He, like most professional soldiers, avoided spies, but this next call was absolutely necessary. National Security Council Command Center.A male voice replied. Please transfer to the American team and find their star duty officer. Please wait a moment.Then there were the sounds of some phone switching, and then a female voice answered: US group. This is Major General Klobankin of the Moscow Command Center of the Home Defense Force. He repeated his name and rank again.I need to know what's going on in Denver in the middle of America, if you guys know anything please let me know. As far as I guess, we don't know much.Denver is an important metropolis and a major center of American government, in fact the second largest seat of government in the United States after Washington.It was Sunday night there, and nothing was supposed to happen at this time.Crobankin heard the other party go through some documents.Oh, right. did you find anything It was the final game of the American Football championship game.I believe the game is being played at the new Denver Coliseum, which is still a closed arena. Crobankin tried not to curse the man for her ramblings.I don't need to know this kind of thing.Is there any uneasiness, commotion or ongoing issues with the general public there?Was there an arsenal or any secret base there that I didn't know about? All our information on this subject has been given to you, General.why are you asking this Miss, there just happened a nuclear explosion there. In Denver? Yes! Where is the exact location?she asked, calmer than the general. Please wait a moment.Crobankin turned his head and said: Give me the latitude and longitude of the explosion site, I want it now! Latitude 39 degrees 40 minutes north, longitude 105 degrees 6 minutes west.These figures are only approximate, added the lieutenant sitting at the satellite control desk.The resolution of our infrared spectrum isn't that good, General.Crobankin relayed the numbers to the phone. Please wait a moment, said the woman's voice.I need to check the map. Naimonov was already sound asleep at this time.It is ten past three in the morning in Moscow.The phone woke him up, and his door was opened a few moments later.Naymonov almost panicked when the door opened.No one has ever broken into his bedroom without his permission.The person who came was Major Herriff of the National Security Council, who was the deputy captain of the President's Personal Guard. Mr. President, there has just been an emergency.You must come with me right away. What's the matter, Herriff? There has just been a nuclear explosion in the United States. what and who did it That's all I know.We must get to the command bunker immediately.The car is already waiting.Forget about taking care of your clothes.Herriff threw him a nightgown. Wren stubbed out his cigarette, still impatiently watching the screen that said please wait a moment because of a technical problem that prevented him from watching the game.Gudre walked into his office with a few bottles of Coke.They have already ordered dinner. what happened?Gudrey asked. The picture is gone.Ryan took a can of Coke and opened it. The female lieutenant colonel on the far left in the third row of the staff seat in the Strategic Air Command is checking various TV channels.There are a total of eight display screens in this room, arranged in two horizontal rows of four.A display screen can be divided into fifty separate screens, and the female lieutenant colonel is an intelligence officer, and her first instinct is to check the news channel.After a few quick flicks of her remote control, she noticed that both CNN and CNN's Headline News channel had temporarily interrupted their programming.The networks, she knew, used different satellite channels, and that made her curious, because curiosity was perhaps the most important quality in intelligence work.The TV system also allowed her to watch other cable channels, and she began to scroll through the channels.The HBO movie channel was also interrupted.Showtime movie channel footage is also gone. ESPN's unique entertainment and sports programs are also missing.She checked the satellites used by the various TV channels at hand and guessed that at least four satellites had failed.At this moment, the lieutenant colonel stood up and went to the commander of the strategic air force. Report sir, a very strange thing happened.she said. What is it?The strategic air force commander said without turning his head. Apparently at least four commercial communications satellites were not functioning properly.These included an Electric Star satellite, an Intelsat satellite, and a Hughes satellite.Sir, they are all lost. This sentence caught the attention of the commander-in-chief of the Strategic Air Force Regiment. He turned around and asked: Did you find anything else? Reporting officer, NORAD reported that the explosion occurred in the city of Denver, very close to the Constellation Stadium, where the Super Bowl is held.Both the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State were there to see the game, sir. God, you are right.The strategic air commander immediately understood the seriousness of the matter. At Andrews Air Force Base, the national emergency air command plane was parked on the tarmac, but with two of its four engines running, waiting for at least one VIP to board before it could take off. Colonel Rosselli had only been on duty for an hour or so when this confusion occurred.Sitting in the crisis management room of the National Military Command Center, he very much hoped that at this time there was still a general-level figure in charge of the overall situation.However, there is no such person in the center at the moment.In the past, in the National Military Command Center, a general-level officer was on duty at any time. However, after the reconciliation of East-West relations and the downsizing of the Pentagon's personnel, now only a senior officer is in charge, but twice a day Fourteen hours of administration fell to the colonel.It could have been worse, Rosselli thought.至少他曉得以前手邊有一大堆核子武器供他使喚的感覺是如何。 So what happened?巴恩斯中校對著監視幕的牆壁叫道。他知道羅塞里還不曉得。 巴恩斯，請你不要那麼激動好嗎？羅塞里冷靜地問道。他的音調一點也沒有改變。看到這位上校的外表或聽其聲音，都不會曉得這位上校此時也非常激動，但這位前任的潛艦艦長的雙手不停地冒汗，他將汗抹在褲管上，使得海軍藍的褲管上留下一灘汗水。 好的，羅塞里。 打電話給威克斯將軍，請他趕快來這兒。 Yes.巴恩斯在保防電話上撥了一個號碼，打電話給威克斯少將，他是轟炸機飛行員出身，現住在保林空軍基地的官方宿舍裡，這個地方隔了一條波托馬克河對著國際機場。 Who?威克斯口齒不清地問道。 我是巴恩斯，長官。我們需要你立即來國家軍事指揮中心。這位中校只要說這樣的話就好。立即對這名轟炸機飛行員有特殊的意義。 馬上就來。威克斯掛上電話，又在那兒喃喃自語：謝天謝地有四輪傳動車。他鑽入一件橄欖綠的冬季雪衣裡，不過沒有穿上雪靴就直接走向門外。他的個人座車是一輛豐田的四輪傳動吉普車，平常他喜歡開著這輛車在戶外越野。這輛車一下子就啟動，然後他將車子倒退，便往雪還沒清乾淨的路上前進。 在大衛營的總統危機處理室是過去冷戰時代留下來的古董產物，至少福勒在一年前看到這間房間時，第一眼的印象便是如此。這間房間是在艾森豪政府時代所建造的，在當時核子彈頭飛彈的精確度是以哩計，而不像現在的飛彈是以碼為單位來計算，因此在設計上已經是落伍了。這間房間深入馬里蘭州的克塔汀山的玄武岩內，頭頂上有六十呎厚的岩石保護，所以在一九七五年以前，這地方還算得上是非常安全的避難所。這間房間大約有三十呎寬，四十呎長，天花板高十呎，此時容納了十二名參謀人員，大部分是海軍的通訊人員，其中有六個還是軍官。在這裡的通訊裝備不像國家緊急空中指揮站或其他總統可能用到的設施那麼現代化。福勒坐在一個看起來像六○年代航空暨太空總署所用的控制台前。這個控制台甚至還包括了一個煙灰缸。在他面前有一排電視螢幕。椅子倒是蠻舒服的，雖然面對這種情況任何人都舒服不起來。艾略特則坐在他旁邊。 好了，福勒總統說道，到底是怎麼回事？ 他看到資深的簡報官是一名海軍的中校。這倒是令人樂觀不起來。 長官，你的專用直升機因為機械問題而停飛。第二架陸戰隊的直升機正趕來此處，打算將你送到國家緊急空中指揮機的停機坪處。我們已經接通了戰略空軍司令官，以及北美防空部司令。這些按鈕能使你直接跟其他部隊的司令官通話。這位海軍軍官的意思是指，各個聯合軍種的主要司令官：CINCLANT指的是大西洋指揮官，現任的司令官是美國海軍屏特將軍；相對地在太平洋地區指揮三軍的是CINC｜PAC，傳統上這也是海軍擔任的職位。ClNC｜SOUTH是駐在巴拉馬，CINC｜CENT是駐在貝海蘭，CINC｜FOR指的是三軍指揮是駐在喬治亞州亞特蘭大市的麥佛森堡，後三者傳統上都是由陸軍的軍官擔任。當然還有其他的重要司令官，包括有SACEUR，指的是歐洲最高聯合統帥，這是北約最主要的指揮官，此時是由一個空軍的四星將軍擔任。在現存的指揮系統下，三軍獨立軍種的司令官事實上沒有指揮的權力。相反地，他們提供給國防部長意見，然後後者再建議總統。總統的命令是透過國防部長，直接發佈給各戰區的司令官。 但國防部長此時 福勒看著一個標示北美防空司令部的按鈕，並按下它。 我是總統。我現在大衛營的通訊室裡。 總統先生，這裡依然是波斯坦中將在負責。北美防空司令部的司令人現在不在這兒，長官。他到丹佛現場觀賞超級盃去了。總統先生，基於我的職責我必須提醒你，據我們的儀器顯示，在丹佛的核子爆炸就發生在星座球場附近。所以很可能國防部長邦克及國務卿塔伯已經不在人間，北美防空部司令也可能喪生了。 OK福勒說道，聲音裡一點感情也沒有。他自己早已經推測到這種結局。 北美防空司令部的副司令目前在旅行之中。一直到有更高階的軍官回來之前，我將是北美防空司令部的負責軍官。 very good.現在告訴我：丹佛到底發生了什麼事？ 報告長官，我們不曉得。在爆炸發生之前，沒有任何不尋常的現象。我們在爆炸之前，沒有發現任何長官，我重複一次，沒有任何飛入美國的飛彈。同時我們也試著聯絡丹佛國際機場的航管人員，請他們查查看他們的雷達記錄帶裡有無任何可能投遞這枚武器的飛機。在我們所有的雷達顯示幕上，我們沒有看到任何可疑的蹤跡。 你們不是可以看到入侵的飛機嗎？ 不一定，長官，波斯坦將軍回答道。這套系統雖然不錯，但還是有方法可以欺騙它，尤其是只有一架飛機的時候。不管怎麼說，總統先生，有些事情我們必須馬上做。我們現在可以討論這方面的問題嗎？ Yes. 長官，以我現在暫時接掌北美防空司令部司令官的權力，我已經下令進入第一級防衛警戒狀態。您也曉得，北美防空司令部有這種權力。不但如此，我們也有發射純為防衛目的的核子武器的權力。 沒有我的允許，你們不能發射任何核子武器。福勒強硬地說道。 長官，北美防空司令部唯一擁有的核子武器現正在儲藏之中，波斯坦說道。其他在場的軍官心想，這位將軍的聲調鎮定得令人佩服。我建議接下來我們應該打電話和戰略空軍司令舉行會議。 please.福勒下令道。電話馬上接通。 總統先生，我是戰略空軍司令。美國空軍福立蒙將軍說道。他說話的聲調也充滿了專業的精神。 So what happened? 報告長官，我們不曉得，但我們必須馬上做些事情。 Please say. 長官，我建議我們把所有的戰略部隊的警戒狀態提高一級。我建議是二級防衛警戒狀態。如果我們現在面對的是一次核子攻擊的話，我們就應該讓敵人曉得我們的部隊都處於最高的警戒狀況。這也可以使得我們能夠以最大的力量回應敵人的攻擊。再者，不管是誰進行的攻擊，這也能嚇阻對方，以防止他可能有或者我們可能給他理由第二次攻擊的想法。 如果我能提出我的意見的話，長官，我們也應該提高其他軍種的警戒狀態。就算沒有其他理由的話，軍事單位可以在支援平民，以及降低老百姓的恐慌時，十分有用。我建議傳統部隊的警戒狀態提高到三級。 最好是有選擇性地這麼做，總統。Elliott said. 我聽到了這句話是誰說的呢？波斯坦問道。 我是國家安全顧問。艾略特說道，回答得有點太過於大聲了一點。她的臉色現在跟她身上的白絲襯衣一樣蒼白。福勒仍然能夠保持鎮定。而艾略特則試著讓自己不要太過於驚慌。 我們沒有見過面，艾略特博士。不幸的是，我們的指揮管制系統不容許我們選擇性地通知部隊或者應該是說，至少沒有辦法很迅速地這麼做。然而，假設我們現在送出我們警戒命令，我們可以啟用所有需要的部隊，然後當他們動員完畢之後，我們可以選擇我們所需要的部隊去處理事情。這至少可以省下一個小時。這是我的建議。 我同意這一點。福立蒙馬上補充道。 很好，就這麼做。Fowler said.這個建議聽起來十分合理。 提高警戒狀態的命令透過各種不同的管道傳遞給各個部隊。戰略空軍司令掌管戰略部隊。第一道緊急行動命令也是利用剛才已經使戰略空軍司令部屬下的轟炸聯隊緊急起飛的同一種語音合成的聲音。即使戰略空軍的轟炸機基地已經知道有警戒狀態，二級防衛警戒狀態的命令只使得情況變為正式，而且更為不祥罷了。相同的訊息透過地面所鋪設的光纖，傳達到架設與密西根州上部半島地區的海軍停機坪無線電系統。這道訊號必須用機械式的摩斯密碼傳送出去。由於這種無線通訊系統的特性，使得它只能非常緩慢地送出每個字母，就好像一個生手在打字時的速度一樣，所以海軍把這套系統當作呼叫潛艦的系統，通知潛艦浮到水面上，以接收由衛星傳送出的最詳盡的命令。 在喬治亞的京士灣裡；南卡羅萊納州的查爾斯頓港；康奈狄克州的格魯頓港，以及太平洋地區的其他三個港口裡，所有的彈道飛彈戰隊的值班幕僚都接到由地面線路或衛星通訊所送出的命令，這些軍官大部分在潛艦旁的維修船上。此時全美國三十六艘的現役潛艦中，有十九艘在海上，進行所謂的嚇阻巡邏。兩艘在船塢裡翻修，因此完全無法出港進行任務。除了俄亥俄號潛艦正在班哥港的船塢裡，其他的潛艦都跟隨伴的維修艙繫纜在一起。這些潛艦都還有縮減編制的船員值勤，雖然在這個星期天的晚上，沒有任何一艘潛艦的艦長正在船上。不過這也無所謂。所有的彈道飛彈潛艦皆有兩組人員的編制，而且每艘潛艦不管在任何狀況下，都得保留其中一名艦長在三十分鐘的車程內。所有的艦長都帶有呼叫器，此時幾乎同時響起。每艘潛艦上的值勤人員開始準備出航。在這些彈道飛彈潛艦上的值星官是由一名已經通過艦長資格測試的軍官擔任。他們的作戰命令非常清楚：當這種警戒狀態來臨時，他們必須儘早把潛艦弄出海。大部分的潛艦人員都以為這是一次演習，但戰略部隊所進行的演習都是相當認真的。拖船已經啟動它們的柴油主機，協助這些灰色的潛艦脫離維修船。甲板的人員已經卸下安全繫纜及支架，同時在維修船上的軍官們立刻衝下階梯，回到自己的潛艦上。而在潛艦上，各隊的軍官、各隊的隊長及副隊長查核手中的名單，看看有誰在艦上，而誰下船休假了。事實上，這些作戰潛艦，就跟大部分的戰艦一樣，船上的編制都超過實際的需要。如果情況需要的話，這些潛艦可以輕而易舉地以一半的人數航行及作戰。而二級防衛警戒狀態便是這種情況。 羅塞里上校及國家軍事指揮中心的幕僚則負責通知傳統部隊。事先錄好的聲音命令直接傳送給每個單位。在陸軍方面，是送給師級的單位。而空軍方面，則是通知聯隊級的單位。海軍方面，則是戰隊級的單位收到命令。傳統部隊現在已經進入三級防衛警戒狀態。羅塞里上校及巴恩斯中校則負責通知高階的指揮軍官。他們發現，即使是通知這些在軍中不下二十五年經驗的三星級將軍們，還是得告訴他們每一個人：不，長官，這不是演習。 所以遍佈在全世界的所有美國軍事單位立即進入警戒。而那些原來就保持高度警戒狀態的部隊，跟預期的一樣，反應最為迅速。這些部隊中包括了美國的柏林旅。