DEADLY DILEMMA by Dan Stratman (story read aloud .txt) 📗

know there could be a bug in the new software. There must be forty million lines of code in the REACT console. Let’s get Dr. Zhao back out here and have him check it over.”

“I can’t. That’s not part of the launch procedure. We don’t get to decide which launch orders we follow and which ones we don’t.”

“Dammit, Cyndi, stop quoting regulations. Screw the manual. What does your gut tell you?”

“It tells me to do my job.” She gripped her key even tighter and rested her left hand on her launch switch. “Prepare for key turn,” Cyndi commanded.

Lance wiped more sweat from his brow. He reached out and gripped the two launch switches on his side of the console. His damp hands trembled, making holding the switches even more difficult.

“God help us.” Cyndi took a deep breath. “Prepare for key turn in five, four, three, two—”

“I can’t.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Lance pulled his right hand away from the launch switch and shook his head. “I can’t do this.”

“What are you doing! Put your hand back on your switch.”

“Something is wrong about this. It doesn’t make sense. Why would we nuke China?”

“What if an attack is underway right now and we did nothing? Millions of Americans will die.”

“Why don’t we call the command post? They’ll know if this is real or not.”

“I don’t want to start World War III any more than you do, but you know how this works. We don’t get to make that decision.”

“Missile ready for launch,” the female voice repeated over the speaker.

“Put your hand on your switch, Lance. If we don’t turn them within two minutes, the missile reverts to standby mode.”

Lance ignored her and removed his left hand from the other switch.

“Lance! We’re missileers. We have a job to do.”

“If you won’t do it then I’ll make the call.” He reached out for the phone on his side of the console.

Click.

Lance looked over at Cyndi. The barrel of her Beretta was pointed directly at his forehead. The safety was off.

“Colonel Wilmer, you need to see this.” Sergeant Morgan, the new command post NCOIC, waved Wilmer over.

He walked up behind Morgan’s workstation. “What is it, Sergeant?”

“There’s something strange going on out at Alpha One. All communication channels just went down, and the site took itself offline.” He looked back wide-eyed. “It’s like it just disappeared.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” He rubbed the back of his neck and began pacing.

“Shouldn’t we call headquarters? Inform the general?”

Wilmer spun around. “No! Wait! Let’s not bother him just yet. Run a full set of diagnostics on Alpha One and our equipment. I want to know exactly what’s going on before—”

“But sir, that could take an hour to complete.”

“Just do it, Sergeant!”

“What the hell are you doing?” Lance responded with horror.

The gun shook in Cyndi’s hand. “I don’t want to do this Lance, but I have to.”

“No, you don’t.”

“If China is attacking and we don’t launch—”

“If we do launch, they will retaliate. Life on this planet is over.”

“Lance, please, put your hands back on your launch switches.”

He held out his left hand like a stop sign. “I’m going to lift up my phone and call the command post. Don’t shoot me.” He slowly lifted the handset and held it against his ear. “Command Post, this is Alpha One.”

His right arm dropped to his side.

Lance wrapped his hand around the grip of his Beretta and silently pulled it out of the holster.

“Command Post, this is Alpha One. How do you read me?”

“Lieutenant Garcia, I order you to put your hands back on your launch switches.”

“Command Post, Alpha One. Do you read me?” Lance slipped his finger inside the trigger guard.

“Lance, please!”

He brought his gun up into view.

“Don’t do it!” Cyndi jerked her gun back and forth, aiming at his gun then at Lance. “Put your gun down!”

He hung up the phone in one slow, deliberate move. “The line is dead.”

“That could mean we are under attack.”

“Think, Cyndi. Take a deep breath and think about this.”

“Put the gun down!”

“Okay, I’m putting it down. Relax.” Lance took his finger off the trigger and laid the gun down on the worktable between them.

Cyndi kept her gun aimed at Lance.

“This system was built during the Stone Age. What if it just…failed. It wouldn’t be the first time.” He faced her and looked into her frightened eyes. “There’s nobody down here but you and me. We decide what happens next. It’s just us. Lance and Cyndi.”

“No, no…” She wagged her finger at him. “Don’t you say that. Don’t you pull that on me.”

“Please put the gun down. We can figure this out together.”

Cyndi pounded the desk with her free hand. “You have the luxury of second-guessing orders. I don’t! I’m the commander. I have a duty to carry out the orders we’re given.”

“Well then”—Lance let out a resigned sigh—“I guess the ball is in your court, Captain.”

The Beretta trembled in her hand.

A battle raged in her heart.

“Lieutenant Garcia, put your hands back on your launch switches.”

Lance didn’t respond. He turned and stared straight ahead at the console.

“Lance…please, I won’t ask you again.”

Lance folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. Every muscle in his body tensed up.

Cyndi pulled the trigger.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The 9 mm slug traveled the five feet between the end of the gun and Lance in milliseconds. It went behind his head and buried itself deep into the mattress on the bunk.

Love had won the battle.

Cyndi holstered her gun, jumped up, and went to Lance. Tears streamed down her face. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t shoot you, no matter what the rules say. I just couldn’t do it.”

He’d only heard part of what she said because of the loud ringing in his left ear. All he knew was that he was still alive. A huge exhalation of relief left his lungs. Lance stood and embraced Cyndi. “I knew you wouldn’t do it. I knew it.”

The dangerous world around them disappeared. A prolonged, passionate kiss replaced it.

When their bodies parted, Cyndi