Page 9 of A Demon’s Resolve (Demonic Tales and Adventures #3)
CHAPTER 9
Daniel sat staring at that damn map, feeling, not for the first time since being elected President, the full weight of the world on his shoulders. It was never easy to give orders that would end up with people dying, but this…
He shook his head. This went beyond anything he’d ever imagined. Millions would die if they didn’t find a way to stop it.
“I need solutions, people,” he demanded. “Considering the situation, I don’t think I need to say, nothing is off the table.”
No one said a word.
“Speak,” he barked out.
The map disappeared and the faces of his team returned. Still, no one spoke.
“Are all of you willing to doom millions of people to death?” he shouted at them.
It was the lieutenant who was the only one brave enough to stare right at Daniel and say, “Sir, I can’t speak for anyone other than the General and myself, but considering we will most likely die in the next,” his eyes glanced down, as if he were looking at his watch, “ten minutes, if we had any ideas we’d already be implementing them.”
“Mr. President, please excuse the unnecessary bluntness of Lieutenant Bishop, but he’s right, sir,” General Rose said. “There is no way of stopping this tsunami and we don't have the time to set up an effective evacuation.”
“The Cabinet has already been helicoptered out. We are doing our best to get out as many of the Senate and House as we can, but with so much chaos and loss of phones in many areas, it hasn’t been an easy task,” his Chief of Staff added.
“All command has been transferred to Western Command,” the General informed him. “Unfortunately, without a miracle, there isn’t anything else we can do.”
Daniel glanced at the clock on the screen. Five minutes. “When will the tsunami be seen by those on the East Coast?”
“In another couple of minutes, sir,” the general responded.
“Oh, my God,” Daniel’s attention was captured by several startled reporters. “Did you see that? He just appeared out of the air.”
Daniel watched the three stations and they were all showing the same image. It was a bit out of focus, as if someone had been walking along the beach, filming the relief efforts of rescuers helping those that had been hurt by the earthquake, when a man, who had to be at least six and half feet tall, just appeared.
“Are any of you watching the news?” Daniel asked, never taking his eyes off the image.
“Yes,” Charles said in disbelief. “Did he seriously just materialize?”
“If you think it was a trick, viewers, there are more where that came from,” one of the newscasters announced.
Each station started to play different versions of the same kind of video, although several of them were better quality and close enough that no one could doubt what they were seeing. Not that it was easy to believe, at least for Daniel.
“Folks, we are going to WTKR in Virginia Beach to a reporter who is on the beach where two of these men have just…well, emerged from thin air.” The picture on one of the screens changed to a wide shot of two men standing on the beach, facing the water.
It was the strangest thing Daniel had ever seen. They seemed to be staring at the water as if they were waiting for something. The water had receded, heralding the tsunami was nearly there, but the appearance of these men must have prevented anyone from noticing, for no one commented on it.
Daniel didn’t know if he was relieved or not. It wouldn’t help for everyone on that beach to start panicking, especially since there was no hope of them surviving at this point.
Then, the cameraman must have noticed something change in the distance, for his shot went from wide enough to pick up both men, who stood at least fifty yards apart, to zooming in on just one man along with what was far out in the ocean.
The reporter who stood out of the shot could be heard saying, “Fuck me.”
Clearly, he’d forgotten he was live, not that Daniel could blame him. It was just visible, but the rise of the water as a wave approached with the speed of a freight train could now be seen. The sight was both awe inspiring and terrifying.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” the reporter said, still not remembering his microphone was active.
He must have been standing next to the cameraman for another voice said, “Too late. We wouldn’t even make it to the van before that wave gets here. If I’m going to die, I might as well be known for getting this on film.”
His words must have resonated with the reporter for he suddenly was there, in the shot, but off to the side so as not to block the strange man on the beach or the wave that was growing with every second.
“This is Chet Williams of WTKR. As you can see behind me, a massive tsunami is heading for the coast. We will stay with you, filming until…” he faltered for a moment before saying, “Well, until we can’t.”
The cameraman must have said something, for the reporter suddenly glanced over his shoulder before stepping to the side and off the picture. “I’m not entirely sure what is happening, but these men just suddenly appeared out of nowhere several minutes ago.”
“There are reports of both men and women materializing up and down the East Coast of the United States. We’re not sure who they are or where they came from. Rick, would you mind getting a tighter shot on one of them?” Chet asked.
Rick must have known what Chet was expecting for he didn’t just get a closer angle, he zeroed in on the man’s bicep. Daniel squinted at the unusual sight.
“Is that tattoo moving?” he asked of the other men and women who were still on video conference with him.
“It has to be a trick of light, right?” Charles asked shakily.
“He could be flexing his bicep, making it appear as if the tattoo is moving,” Sandra Leighton, Head of Homeland Security, suggested.
There were a few others who made plausible possibilities but somehow Daniel knew it wasn’t fake. That tattoo was moving. As if to prove it, the cameraman panned to the other man standing further down the beach. He had a nearly matching tattoo that was undulating just as the other one was.
“What are they doing?” Daniel asked, even though he knew damn well no one had a clue.
Once again, it seemed the cameraman was the first to notice a change. The water that had been gaining in height and speed, appeared to stall. Not completely, but its rate at which it had grown in size, if Daniel wasn’t imagining it, was decreasing.
“Sir, I have no idea how, but our sensors indicate the tsunami that we predicted its pinnacle to reach nearly fifty feet, has changed to thirty feet.” There was a pause and a slight waver of relief in General Rose’s voice as he said, “Sensors are now indicating ten feet.”
It was mind-blowing to watch as the incoming water not only sank back into the ocean but to witness its momentum actually slowing down. How? Daniel had no clue, but he suspected these strangers on the beach had something to do with it.
“Are their tattoos glowing?” Daniel couldn’t ever remember hearing Paul Finch’s voice sound as dumbstruck as it was at the moment. The man was the Director of the CIA, nothing usually fazed him. Then again, in all his years as a Marine and then serving in public service, Daniel had to admit this was the strangest event he’d ever beheld.
Oh, he’d heard strange stories from others, but this? This went beyond strange, straight to freaky with a healthy dose of petrifying. That wasn’t a comfortable feeling for Daniel. He was the leader of the free world.
Fear was one thing. He’d have been an idiot not to feel that emotion from time to time, especially as the entire country depended on him to keep them safe. But this was something entirely different.
For the first time in his life, he was afraid he might be ill-equipped to deal with whatever was happening. Then again, he wasn’t sure there was anyone who was.
“General, report,” he barked out. First thing first. He needed to know if the tsunami was still a threat.
“All major cities have been saved with marginal water washing up onto the beaches. There were a few structures still struck by the waves but damage is at a minimum, Mr. President. Unfortunately, not all areas were unaffected,” the general said.
“Wherever these unknown men and women showed up, they basically stopped the effects of the tsunami that would have otherwise destroyed the coast and miles inland.” The general put up a map highlighting several rural areas. “The places they didn’t cover weren’t so lucky.”
Satellite images of several smaller coastal towns and marshlands were thrown up on the screen. The devastation was heartbreaking, but Daniel knew they’d gotten lucky. For that could have been major cities too. New York City alone would have suffered millions of deaths, if things had gone differently.
“I’m declaring a state of emergency for all areas affected by the earthquakes, fires, winds and tsunami. Send in the National Guard and any other armed forces that can help.” Since they still had no idea who or what caused all this, Daniel wasn’t keen on using the military when they may have a war on their hands.
“Just be sure all military personnel only work near bases. Until we know who caused this, we need to be prepared for another attack and that means keeping all military close to their home base for possible deployment.” Daniel stared once more at the screens with so much devastation. “Jackson, I want to speak to the country as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Mr. President.” Jackson came back on the screen. “We can do it from Air Force One.”
“We’ll be landing in three minutes, Mr. President,” Lukas informed him.
Daniel nodded at Lukas. “As soon as I’m aboard Air Force One, I want answers as to who did this and who in the hell those men and women on the beaches were. You have five minutes.”
Daniel reached over and turned the monitors off before turning to Lukas. “What do you think?”
His head of his security detail was a man who’d been all over the world with contacts in places most people in the government didn’t have. “I wish I knew, sir,” Lukas said glumly.
That wasn’t a good sign.