Page 64 of Enemy Within

When she saw Jack, she smiled wide and let her head droop forward for a moment. “Jack… I’m glad to see you in one piece. I must have been absolutely crazy to agree to this plan of yours.”

“Yes, Madam President.” Jack grinned back at her.

“Is everyone with you all right?”

Jack nodded, and Ethan leaned into the video feed.

“Ethan.” Elizabeth’s smile wavered as her eyes glittered, and she couldn’t speak for a moment. “I’m glad to see you both.” Her eyes flicked away from the screen, and she nodded to someone out of sight.

Levi appeared beside her. “Where’s Scott?”

Scott grunted and leaned in, grinning.

“Y'all can hurry it up and come back anytime,” Levi said. He gave them a tired smile and backed away.

Elizabeth got down to business. “Jack, we’ve got a situation here.”

She briefed them on Moroshkin’s movements in Canada and the nervous ceasefire that had settled over the region. Canada’s refusal to talk to them anymore, and Russia’s direct communication with the Canadian government. NATO’s silence. The advance of the Chinese fleet across the Pacific, and her defensive line at Hawaii.

When she finished, Jack leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees as he exhaled. “Back channels to Canada aren’t working?”

“They aren’t saying a word to us. CIA and NSA are tracking comms between Canada and the Russians. It’s tapered off for now. We’re in wait-and-see mode.”

“We’ve got to do something about the Chinese fleet.” Jack’s gaze flicked to Anderson. “You have four subs with you?”

Anderson nodded.

“Elizabeth, let’s split this fleet. Send two subs up the backs of the Chinese. If they make a move at Hawaii, Anderson’s subs can be there waiting for them.”

Anderson chimed in. “My guys can sprint back and catch up to their present position in under a day. They’ll never know they’re there.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I agree. Let’s do it.” She pulled a tablet across the table and sent a picture over the secured link. “Jack, here’s the latest from the Swedish weather satellite. The cloud is growing. It’s already estimated to kill over four billion people if it ignites now. Every hour it grows, more lives are at risk.”

The black-and-white photo showed a river of fuchsia, spreading out like spilled ink from the Russian Arctic and starting to sweep around the globe. “Most of Russia, China, and starting to touch Canada and the US.” Jack glanced at Ethan. One of Ethan’s hands rose, settling on the small of his back, a silent show of support.

Sergey crossed the cabin and leaned into the feed, glowering at the data. “Damn the man,” he growled. “Almost all of Russia will be incinerated in this blast!”

“We’re not going to let that happen, Sergey.” Jack held his friend’s glare when Sergey turned to him. “We’re going to stop him.”

“Jack, what’s your plan?” On-screen, Elizabeth sat back, lacing her hands together.

All eyes turned to him.

No pressure. He exhaled slowly and leaned back into Ethan’s touch. “I want to take two subs up under the Arctic ice. Captain Anderson’s and another. We’ll make our way beneath the polar cap to Madigan’s location. Based on Sasha’s recon flight, we have a great idea of what we’re up against. One sub and one destroyer. It was surfaced through the ice a week ago.”

“What kind of sub?” Anderson frowned. “There’s a difference between a fast attack boat and an SSBN.” A hunter-killer, or a mobile missile launcher.

Jack turned to Sasha. Sasha shrugged. “A dark sub. Black.”

Anderson arched one eyebrow. “Would you be able to recognize it if you saw it again?”

Sasha thought it over, nodding his head from side to side. “Da. Yes.”

“Jack, I thought you said the pilot went down during the mission?” Elizabeth leaned forward.

“We recovered Sasha on our way.” Smiling, Jack gestured to Sasha and pushed the screen toward him.

Clearly uncomfortable, Sasha managed a tight smile and looked like he wanted to make his six-foot-plus frame disappear into the cheap wooden paneling.