<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">As Joe turned around and walked off, his phone began to ring.  It was the lieutenant who gave the order.  When Joe answered, the Lieutenant said, "Joe, don't talk, just listen.  Shit just hit the fan big time, and we're looking at a situation far bigger than a hostage.  Word is they've got everyone on standby, police, military, everyone.  I know you want to save that girl, but with shit this deep, we need everyone and then some."</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>White House War Room<br/>15:50 20 July 2079</strong></span><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">To call the situation tense would be an understatement.  The most powerful men in the Western Hemisphere were sitting together in one room, discussing the breech of security of one branch of the armed forces that might lead the US to war.  Chairman Fairleigh looked at the group and said, "Gentlemen, we have a situation.  At 15:04 today, SPECTRE Command Division 12 in Seattle detected an unauthorized network tapped into their secure hub.  Their AI defenses set to work, but were unable to breech the intruder's security.  As a precaution, they severed all links with the hub and locked it down physically."<br/><br/>Everyone in the room tensed.  SPECTRE was using technology identical to their own, with secure networks that linked their military bases around the globe.  Information going through those networks contained everything from troop movements to personnel histories to classified documents known only to a select few.  Many considered it impossible to breech from the outside, and the supercomputers and AI routines keeping a constant watchdog on the networks kept everyone out.  Except now they had a breech, and only a handful of computer systems in the world might come close to that.<br/><br/>All four hostile nations appeared on the screen behind Admiral Fairleigh.  China, which had developed into a superpower that was the direct contender for US power, the European Union which remained neutral towards the United States, Brazil, which was also neutral towards the US but did a fair amount of trade, and India, which was slightly in favor of the US.  All four were possible candidates, and it was easy to understand why.  While China had lost its title as manufacturer for the world, they had made great strides in catching up to the US, and were only two generations behind in technology.<br/><br/>The European Union was the only superpower that was a threat to the US in terms of technology.  They spent billions in research and development to create weapons, but their manufacturing was nowhere near what the US could produce.  Brazil was primarily focused on keeping the peace down in South America, so many were ready to dismiss the threat from them outright.  India was a threat in that their technology was just shy of the US, and they had the manpower.  But their long history with the US had been one of general peace, and it was doubtful they'd push the envelope.  Their war with Pakistan a decade ago had been hard, and Pakistan was now an Indian 'protectorate'.<br/><br/>Four superpowers, that was what they were looking at.  "What's the situation with them?  Any signs of gearing up?"<br/><br/>A representative from the CIA stepped forward, "Currently China is on full alert, and so is India.  China went on full alert roughly thirty minutes after we did, and India was immediate to respond once China began to wake up.  So far the EU is keeping quiet, and Brazil is only on alert after several skirmishes with Ecuador.  So far no one seems to be responsible for the attack on SPECTRE."<br/><br/>That was bad news.  Admiral Fairleigh knew that if the threat wasn't foreign, it had to be domestic.  If it was domestic, then they had security breeches that needed plugging, and fast.</span>