Page 240 of Never

‘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.’

‘You say itriskswar, not that it makes war inevitable.’

‘Yes, and I chose my words carefully. We don’t know where the Chinese would draw the line. They probably don’t know themselves. They may not make that decision until they’re forced to.’

Pauline recalled Pippa sayingWhy is everything so complicated?

All this was preliminary. The group was waiting for her to speak. She was the captain and they were the crew; they would sail the ship, but she had to tell them where to go.

She said: ‘This morning’s attack by the North Koreans is a game changer. Until now, our priority has been to avoid war. That is no longer the main issue. War has happened, despite all our efforts. We did not want it, but it’s here.’

She paused, then said: ‘Our task now is to protect American lives.’

They looked solemn, but also relieved. At least they had a direction.

‘What is our first step?’ She felt her heart beat faster. She had never done anything like this before. She took a deep breath, then spoke slowly and emphatically. ‘We are now going to make sure that North Korea will never again kill Americans. I intend to take away their power to do us harm, permanently. We will utterly destroy their military forces. And we will do that today.’

The men and women around the table burst into a round of spontaneous applause. Clearly this was what they had been hoping for.

She waited a few moments then went on: ‘There may be more ways than one for us to achieve this.’ She turned to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs again. ‘Bill, lay out the military options, please.’

He spoke with supreme confidence, a complete contrast to the professorial Chess. ‘Let me start with the maximum,’ he said. ‘We could launch a nuclear attack on North Korea and turn the entire country into a moonscape.’

That proposal was a non-starter, but Pauline did not say so. She had asked for the options and Bill was giving them. She dismissed it with a light touch. ‘It will be what James Moore demands in his next television interview,’ she said.

Chess said: ‘However, it’s the option most likely to draw us into a nuclear war with China.’

Bill said: ‘I’m not recommending it, but it should be put on the table.’

‘Quite right, Bill,’ said Pauline. ‘What else?’

‘Your stated aim could also be achieved with an invasion of North Korea by American troops. A big enough force could take Pyongyang, capture the Supreme Leader and his entire team, disarm the military, and destroy every missile in the country as well as any remaining stocks of chemical and biological weapons.’

Chess said: ‘And once again we would have to think about the Chinese reaction.’

General Schneider spoke with suppressed indignation. ‘I hope we’re not going to let fear of the Chinese dictate our response to this outrage.’