But she maintained her tone of brisk practicality. ‘The Chinese will see them on their satellite and radar feeds within seconds, but the missiles will take thirty minutes or more to reach China.’
‘Yes, and as soon as they appear the Chinese will launch their own nuclear attack on the US.’
Yes, she thought. The mighty skyscrapers of New York will collapse, the gleaming beaches of Florida will turn radioactive, and the majestic forests of the west will blaze until there is nothing left but a carpet of ash.
She said: ‘But we have something the Chinese don’t have – anti-missile missiles.’
‘We certainly do, Madam President: interceptor sites at Fort Greely in Alaska and Vandenberg Air-Force Base in California, plus smaller systems of sea-based interceptors.’
‘Do they work?’
‘They’re not expected to be one hundred per cent effective.’
Bill Schneider, who as always wore a headset that connected him with the Pentagon, growled: ‘They’re the best in the world.’
‘But they’re not perfect,’ Pauline said. ‘I understand that if they kill half the incoming ordnance they’re doing well.’
Bill did not contradict her.
Luis said: ‘We also have nuclear-armed submarines patrolling the South China Sea. We have fourteen such vessels, and currently half of them are within range of China. Each one is armed with twenty ballistic missiles, and each missile has between three and five warheads. Madam President, any one of those submarines carries enough firepower to devastate any country on Earth. And they will immediately open fire on mainland China.’
‘But presumably the Chinese have similar.’
‘Not really. They have four or five Jin-class submarines, each carrying twelve ballistic missiles, but the missiles have only one warhead each. The firepower is nowhere near comparable to ours.’
‘Do we know where their submarines are?’
‘No. Modern submarines are very quiet. Our hydro-acoustic sensors detect them only when they approach our coasts. Magnetic anomaly detectors, usually mounted in aircraft, can find only submarines that are near the surface. In short, submarines can hide right up until the very last minute.’
Pauline had approved the China Plan, and she did not see how it could be improved, but it did not guarantee a quick victory. America would win, but millions would die in both countries.
Suddenly Bill Schneider shouted: ‘Missile fired, missile fired!’
‘Oh, no!’ Pauline looked at the screens around the room and saw no sign of it. ‘Where?’
‘Pacific Ocean.’ Speaking into his mouthpiece he said: ‘For Christ’s sake, be more precise!’ Then after a pause: ‘Eastern Pacific, Madam President.’ Speaking into the phone again, he said: ‘Get some camera drones up in the neighbourhood, fast!’
Gus said: ‘Radar on screen three.’
Pauline looked at the screen and saw a graphic showing a red arc or a blue sea. Then the image moved, and on the left of the screen she saw a familiar-looking island.
Bill said: ‘One ballistic missile, that’s all.’
Gus said: ‘Fired from where? It can’t have come from China – we would have seen it half an hour ago.’
Bill said: ‘It must have been launched from a submarine which then immediately submerged.’
Gus said: ‘Here comes the drone picture.’
Pauline looked hard. The island was mostly forest, but in the south was a built-up area, with a large airport and a natural harbour. Much of the coast was a golden ribbon of beaches. She said: ‘Oh, my good God, that’s Honolulu.’
‘They’re bombing Hawaii,’ Chess said with incredulity.
Pauline asked: ‘How far away is the missile?’
Bill answered: ‘One minute to impact.’
‘Christ! Does Hawaii have anti-missile defences?’
‘Yes,’ said Bill, ‘on land and aboard ships in the harbour.’
‘Tell them to fire!’
‘Already told, but the missile is low and fast and hard to hit.’
All the screens now showed different views of Honolulu. It was mid-afternoon in Hawaii. Pauline could see bright-coloured umbrellas in straight rows on Waikiki Beach. It made her want to weep. A big jet was taking off from Honolulu airport, probably packed with homeward-bound holidaymakers who might now escape death by seconds. Battleships and submarines of the US navy were at anchor in Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor, Pauline thought; my God, this has happened before. I don’t think I can bear it.