Chapter Text
Gravel dug into Daniel's knees as he sat outside the 49th Missile Defense Battalion headquarters.
How can it have come to this? He thought as he gagged into his palm. how did we..
There wasn't much that could be done now. Not with the ballistic nuclear missile headed straight for Chicago, which was now merely minutes away from contact.
The team had permission to launch their GBIs, Ground Based Interceptors, to stop the missile and blow it to bits, but the impact was confirmed negative. “Object Remains inbound.” That little red triangle blinking on the giant screen solidified the demise of ten million innocent people.
“God-fucking-damnit.” Daniel’s voice cracked uncharacteristically as bile rose up his throat, painting his tongue with a disgusting taste.
They could have stopped it if that fucking EKV hadn’t failed to deploy. If the launch was detected. If they knew who to blame.
Nineteen minutes to start. Eight after the reported negative impact.
Daniel had to quickly move his hand away from his face as his lunch -along with a singular Cool Ranch Dorito, courtesy of one of the soldiers inside- ended up on the rocky ground in a pile of vomit. A grossly wet sob escaped his quivering body before it was cut short by more puke.
He was slouched over on his hands and knees, panting and wiping his mouth with his uniform sleeve.
He’d never cried like this before. Not after ending a relationship, not after having to leave his family to join the military, not even after his best friend contracted a serious disease and died in a cold, unwelcoming hospital.
Would he end up like her? Dead, in a sterile, silent office? Would anyone visit him?
Would anyone be alive to visit him? It was a bit of a stretch to assume that this attack would lead to all of America dead, but he couldn’t help but feel paranoid. Who wouldn’t? If you and a handful or two of people were responsible for cutting off a nuke, and FAILED, wouldn’t you be a little paranoid?
Daniel finally sat up, hands in his lap as he looked up at the Clouds that had wrapped gray arms around Alaska’s sky in a cold, rainy, hug.
What can be done?
It’s not like there’s a button that could just reset everything.