Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 197 Caesar your mother, I'm Pinochet

Washington, D.C., Federal Emergency Management Center, basement.

It's cold inside.

The concrete wall is half a meter thick.

The wind can't blow in, and the sound can't get out.

McCann sat at the end of the long table.

Several stacks of documents were spread out in front of him.

The title of the top page is "Responses from Multiple States to the National Stabilization and Reconstruction Order".

Next is the "Compilation of Elective Proposals for Temporary Legislative Mechanisms".

No one dared to ask him which page he was reading.

The chief of staff sat to McCann's left, speaking cautiously, afraid of saying the wrong word:

"Currently, 23 states are enforcing our takeover order, five states are partially cooperating, and the rest are in a state of semi-disconnection."

“Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia are divided, with the administrative system refusing to respond and the military and police being more active.”

The man paused, then added, "The technical team believes that if we could get some form of endorsement from the Department of Justice or the Supreme Court—"

“We don’t need a court,” McCain said coldly, interrupting his suggestion.

The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the air.

The chief of staff remained expressionless, but his eyes subtly glanced to the right.

The acting finance director, having received the hint, quickly said:
"Indeed, the Supreme Court has not convened a constitutional review since last month, and has not received any response after the emergency order was submitted to the Department of Justice."

"But if we want to maintain a minimum level of legitimacy narrative externally, whether for diplomacy or corporate liquidation, we need at least a stable anchor."

Even if it's just a temporary decision-making committee.

McCain took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingertips.

“An interim decision-making committee,” he repeated.

Where are you planning to look for people?

The acting finance director was taken aback. "There are still some surviving members of Congress—"

“Survived?” McCain chuckled twice. “They didn’t survive, they ran away.”

"Private charter flights to London, Zurich and Reykjavik were booked in advance."

“You’re willing to abandon the Federation, leaving you to rot in the fire.”

"Mr. President," the chief of staff said, forcing himself to speak up and defend his colleague, "John was referring to your supporters."

“Those Republicans who stayed behind, and the lawmakers from the Southwest.”

"They still have full confidence in the Union."

"We also respect your irreplaceable role in a democratic system."

McCann looked at him, his gaze lingering for two seconds.

Then, he put his glasses back on and calmly said, "Please continue."

The Secretary of Homeland Security opened the report in his hand and simply stated:
“NSA[1] completed the structural review and intervention path assessment of Tier-1 and Tier-2 network nodes.”

“At the physical level, DISA[2] and CYBERCOM[3] have deployed link control and traffic redirection mechanisms at key communication hubs.”

"Currently, it has the capabilities for real-time packet detection, path reconstruction, and layered interception."

"The vast majority of civilian communications have been incorporated into the wartime situational awareness system."

"As long as you nod, nationwide network surveillance can be activated immediately."

This time, McCann didn't interrupt.

He listened intently, his expression completely unreadable.

The Director of Intelligence also spoke up at the opportune moment:

"The Department of Defense has submitted a proposal to formally demarcate the boundaries between the 'Federal Stabilization Zone' and the 'Dispute Governance Zone'."

"For example, the ten southeastern states, as well as several areas controlled by the National Guard, were listed as priority deployment targets."

"At the same time, a theater command system will be established, with you as the Commander-in-Chief of the three services, exercising the authority to approve and mobilize troops."

He looked up at McCann.

Then, seemingly to emphasize the realistic basis of the plan, it was said:
"Currently, the combat and support command units within the territory are responding to the central government's instructions without any obvious wavering."

"These include Northern Command, Transportation, Cyber, and Special Operations Command."

"The resistance mainly comes from the state level, concentrated on the West Coast and the Northeast, and is manifested in administrative disruptions and the National Guard's refusal to federalize."

"In addition, communications between Europe and Central Command have been temporarily suspended."

"The Indo-Pacific region has maintained a vague response, with intelligence assessments leaning towards a wait-and-see approach." After he finished speaking, the room fell silent again.

McCann sat there, motionless, as if waiting for some delayed response.

But half a minute passed, and still no one said a word.

The chief of staff lowered his head slightly, sighed inwardly, and broke the silence first.

"Admittedly, we cannot resume elections, nor can we hold regular rallies, but we can continue in areas such as foreign affairs, commercial arbitration, and cross-border settlements."

"They are all demanding a minimum, identifiable 'structural entity'."

The acting finance director nodded and then said:

“We can control the media, streamline processes, and not actually let it exercise legislative power.”

"But at the very least, it must maintain the legitimate appearance of democracy in order not to be called a coup."

The man was stunned as soon as he said it.

He quickly regretted it and tried to say something to regain his composure.

"I don't mean a coup, but rather..."

"External public opinion will think that way, and we need to prevent misjudgment."

"It's not to cover anything up, it's just to prepare for what might happen."

This time, no one spoke up for him.

Even the chief of staff remained silent.

The man broke out in a cold sweat instantly, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He looked around helplessly, his lips twitching slightly.

Dead silence.

Only deathly silence.

Finally, McCann moved, as if he hadn't heard the earlier questioning at all.

He slowly reached out, picked up the document in front of him, and began to speak slowly and deliberately.

"NSA, defense, and finance will proceed as planned."

"At midnight tonight, the Federal Stability Zone will be established."

"Before six o'clock, the Northern Command completed the takeover and reorganization of the state agencies."

"The National Communications Command System (NCCS) is switched to wartime communications configuration."

"The Joint Chiefs of Staff has activated a Level 2 encryption protocol."

"If an interruption occurs during execution, the preset emergency sequence will respond immediately."

The intelligence chief looked up, his expression a mixture of confusion and fear.

He hesitated for two seconds, but finally asked:

“Mr. President, what you described are the steps to launch the EAM chain.”

"Once the transmission is confirmed, the E-130J will automatically take over the strategic relay band."

"At that point, it will become a nuclear strike threat against the homeland."

Are you sure you want it?

McCann stared at him, expressionless.

"We don't have time to wait and see."

"What is needed now is decisive action and a swift restoration of order."

"This is not only for the lives of all of you here, but also for the continuation of the nation."

"With internal divisions continuing, the wolves outside have already smelled the blood."

"**, ***, **, America's enemies are all making moves in the shadows."

"If this drags on any longer, we won't be the ones settling scores with others; instead, others will be invading us."

The next second, McCann turned to the pale-faced consultants, his tone suddenly becoming relaxed, even carrying a hint of almost cheerful teasing.

"Didn't you want me to announce a new system to the public?"

"Now there is."

"It called me."

　[1] NSA, the National Security Agency of the United States
　　[2] DISA, Defense Information Systems Agency
　　[3] CYBERCOM, U.S. Cyber ​​Command. Because it is a dual-hatted command with the NSA, its commander also serves as the NSA director.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)