Pippa called from the horse ranch, upset. She said: ‘Why would they do this, Mom? Are they monsters?’
‘They’re not monsters, but they’re desperate men, which is almost as bad,’ Pauline said. ‘The man who runs North Korea has his back to the wall. He’s under attack from rebels in his own country, from his neighbours to the south, and from the US. He thinks he’s going to lose the war, his power, and probably his life too. He’ll do anything.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘I don’t know yet, but when Americans are attacked like this I have to do something. Like everyone else, I want to hit back. But I also have to make sure this doesn’t turn into a war between us and China. That would be ten times worse, a hundred times worse, than what’s happened in Seoul.’
In a frustrated tone Pippa said: ‘Why is everything so complicated?’
Aha, Pauline thought, you’re growing up. She said: ‘The easy problems get solved right away, so only the hard ones are left. That’s why you should never believe a politician with simple answers.’
‘I guess.’
Pauline wondered whether to order Pippa to return to the White House a day early, but decided that she was marginally safer in Virginia. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, honey,’ she said as casually as she could.
‘Okay.’
Pauline ate an omelette at her desk and drank a cup of coffee then went to the Situation Room.
There was tension in the air like static electricity. Was that something you could smell? She noted an aroma of furniture polish from the gleaming table, the body heat of the thirty or so men and women around her, and a sweet perfume from an aide somewhere nearby; and there was something else, too. The smell of fear, she thought.
She was briskly practical. ‘First things first,’ she said. She nodded to General Schneider, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who was in uniform. ‘Bill, what do we know about American casualties?’
‘We have four hundred and twenty confirmed American military dead and one thousand one hundred and ninety-one injured – and counting.’ His voice was a parade-ground bark, and Pauline guessed he was suppressing emotion. ‘The attack ended about three hours ago and I’m afraid we haven’t yet located them all. The final total will be higher.’ He swallowed. ‘Madam President, many brave Americans sacrificed their lives or their health for the sake of their country today in South Korea.’
‘And we all give thanks for their courage and loyalty, Bill.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘What about civilian casualties? We had a hundred thousand non-military American citizens living in South Korea a few days ago. How many did we evacuate?’
‘Not enough.’ He cleared his throat and spoke more easily. ‘We expect about four hundred civilian deaths and four thousand injured, though that’s no more than an educated guess.’
‘The numbers are tragic but the way they died is utterly horrific.’
‘Yes. Mustard gas, hydrogen cyanide and VX nerve gas.’
‘Any biological weapons?’
‘Not as far as we can tell.’
‘Thank you, Bill.’ She looked at Chester Jackson, in his tweed suit and button-down shirt a contrast with General Schneider. ‘Chess, why has this happened?’
‘You’re asking me to read the mind of the Supreme Leader.’ Chess was like Gerry, careful to put in all the ifs and buts; and, like Gerry, he demanded patience. ‘So my answer is a guess, but here goes. I believe Kang is reckless because he thinks that China must rescue him sooner or later, and the more dire the emergency, the sooner it will happen.’
The Director of National Intelligence, Sophia Magliani, chipped in. ‘If I may, Madam President, that’s the view of just about everyone in the intelligence community.’
‘But is Kang right?’ Pauline asked. ‘In the end, will the Chinese save his ass?’
‘Another exercise in telepathy, Madam President,’ said Chess, and Pauline controlled her impatience. ‘Beijing is hard to read because there are two factions, the young progressives and the old Communists. The progressives think the Supreme Leader is a pain in the neck and they would like to see the back of him. The Communists think he’s an indispensable bulwark against capitalist imperialism.’
‘But the bottom line . . .’ said Pauline, nudging him along.
‘Bottom line is that both sides are determined to keep the US out of North Korea. For us to trespass on their land, airspace or maritime territory risks provoking war with Beijing.’