50
“The Japanese,” Drake listened with one ear to his vice chairman as Bart fed him fresh updates from the Pentagon, “threw the switch to an offensive war footing at 19:43 our time.”
It was well known that the Japanese were eminently prepared for the moment, if they felt that was necessary. Or rather when.
And nuclear weapons?
Everyone said a year, but he’d bet they had everything worked out to make it happen within twenty-four hours—assuming they didn’t already have a couple sequestered away.
“Why the hell did they do that?” President Cole was not happy.
“A North Korean missile impacted Iki Island. At the moment the fatalities appear to be—”
His surprise stopped him from echoing Bart’s words into the room.
“It what?”
The President and General Gray were both watching him closely.
