The moment was nearly at hand. If his enemy did not react as predicted, today was still a great victory. If his enemy did as expected, the victory would eventually become complete.
He will have served the will of Allah and his place in history will be forever assured. His reward in paradise, given to him personally by the prophet, would be the greatest one of all.
At this moment, a televised program out of Riyadh, rather than be a mouthpiece of that corrupt government which believed it held the keys to Mecca, was now so frightened as to move toward a middle road. They were saying that the attack on America must be understood, after so many centuries of abuse and corruption inflicted upon them by the West, dating back to the crusades.
In minutes, all would understand his wisdom, his far deeper insight into the enemy than bin Laden ever had. The American world had changed profoundly in the decade since 9/11 and in a direction few had foreseen. It was a new and vastly different generation of leaders there now. They had become a nation divided, mistrustful of each other.
Already, even as the last few minutes ticked down for this final fulfillment of his plan, their media was laying blame against each other, demanding changes to their laws in order to “protect our children.”
Only he and a small handful knew that the enemy had seen more than enough indicators of what was unleashed this day. He knew what they would do and it would fundamentally change them… and then destroy them.
It was 4:00 p.m. in Washington D.C. All in the room fell silent, watching the monitors that were linked to feeds from around the world.
4:00 p.m., Washington. D.C.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.”
The single camera set in the oval office came on. He was dressed in a dark jacket, white shirt and dark tie, carefully selected by his advisors to convey a somber mood, as if he were chief mourner at a national funeral.
The curtains were drawn behind him. Two flags, the flag of the United States and that of the President of the United States, were the only bright colors in the framed image.
He gazed straight at the camera, hands neatly folded on several sheets of paper resting on the desk.
“My fellow Americans. Today is a day of national tragedy, a day of national mourning, a new day of infamy. Our nation was attacked in the most brutal and despicable way. The images we have seen this day, we will never forget. And we should never forget. Our children have now become the victims of a hateful and villainous plan to create chaos and to frighten us.
"Today must also become a day of national strength. We must remember who we are, what we stand for, and stay strong in our resolve to not be cowered and to remain good and decent people.
"I am disappointed to report that the fighting continues in a number of locations."
He paused.
“And, tragically, fighting now rages among ourselves as well. There have been incidents across America of a spreading violence that is misguided, misaimed at the peaceful and innocent because they share a particular faith.
“Therefore, I have signed the following executive orders.”
He paused, lightly tapping the sheets of paper on his desk.
“I have signed a document declaring that the United States of America is in a state of national emergency. Therefore:
“I have ordered the closing of all interstate highways until further notice. This is for your safety and to facilitate the movement of emergency vehicles and troops to secure order.
“I have ordered the closing of all schools, public and private, until further notice. This is to ensure the safety of our children. I leave it to state authorities the decision as to when the lockdown of schools shall be lifted and children released to the care of their parents. If you are listening to me from a secured area near your child’s school, once you have your child, you are to proceed home immediately.
“I have ordered a curfew effective at 8:00 p.m. starting this evening, to begin within each time zone at that hour. You must be off the road and in your homes by 8:00 p.m. local time. If you cannot reach your home, seek a safe place to stay. Travel after that hour until 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning will result in immediate arrest. For your safety and for the security of our nation, you must comply with this temporary restriction.
“Regardless of individual permits to carry a weapon according to various state and local law, I have ordered that the carrying or use of any firearm will result in immediate arrest until such time as this emergency has ended. In light of the tragedies that have transpired this day with attacks upon innocent civilians, the reasoning for this is obvious.
“And finally…”
He tried to offer a reassuring smile.
“Our enemies have used the internet and our computerized systems of communication to coordinate their attacks and commit violence against our citizens. Therefore, I have ordered the immediate suspension of the use of the internet by all citizens until further notice. If you are currently using the internet to communicate with others, you must sign off once this broadcast is completed. The internet is to be reserved for transmission and postings only by designated government officials and agencies in order to provide national security until this crisis has passed. You may continue to monitor the internet for official announcements via approved sources that even now are being listed, but to transmit information of any kind will result in arrest. I assure you that this is a temporary measure only, effective only until we are certain that our enemies are not using our technology to implement further violent attacks.
“In light of these requirements and the need to ensure public safety and to protect our children, effective immediately, I am declaring a state of martial law throughout the United States.
"Details of this declaration are being distributed to traditional media outlets and posted on official government websites. Please read them carefully and comply with their requirements.
"This has been, by far, the most terrible day in our nation’s history. Cooperating together, we shall come through it and emerge stronger and more united. We shall be a single entity, one people, one nation, setting aside our quarrels of the past for the good of all.
“I thank you for your cooperation."
Raqqa, Syria
The screen went blank and the caliph sat back and laughed.
“Allah be praised, we have won!"
THE END
William R. Forstchen
www.onesecondafter.com
www.dayofwrathbook.com
www.spectrumliteraryagency.com/forstchen.htm
William R. Forstchen is the author of over forty books, has a Ph.D. in history from Purdue University and is a Faculty Fellow at Montreat College. He has a broad spectrum of works including science fiction and fantasy, historical fiction, alternate history, several scholarly works, numerous short stories and articles and near-future novels ONE SECOND AFTER, PILLAR TO THE SKY and ONE YEAR AFTER. He is a New York Times bestselling author.
Books by William R. Forstchen
ONE YEAR AFTER
DAY OF WRATH (novella)
PILLAR TO THE SKY
ONE SECOND AFTER
WE LOOK LIKE MEN OF WAR
Lost Regiment series
RALLY CRY
UNION FOREVER
TERRIBLE SWIFT SWORD
FATEFUL LIGHTNING
BATTLE HYMN
NEVER SOUND RETREAT
A BAND OF BROTHERS
MEN OF WAR
DOWN TO THE SEA
Star Voyager Academy series
STAR VOYAGER ACADEMY
ARTICLE 23
PROMETHEUS
ICE PROPHET
THE FLAME UPON THE IDE
A DARKNESS UPON THE ICE
INTO THE SEA OF STARS
The Gamester Wars series
THE ALEXANDRIAN RING
THE ASSASSIN GAMBIT
THE NAPOLEON WAGER
With Newt Gingrich
THE BATTLE OF THE CRATER
V
ALLEY FORGE
TO TRY MEN’S SOULS
PEARL HARBOR
DAYS OF INFAMY
NEVER CALL RETREAT
GETTYSBURG
1945
With Raymond Feist
HONORED ENEMY
With Greg Morrison
CRYSTAL WARRIORS
Star Trek: The Next Generation
THE FORGOTTEN WAR
Magic: The Gathering
ARENA
Wing Commander series
ACTION STATIONS
FALSE COLORS
FLEET ACTION
HEART OF THE TIGER
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
END RUN with Christopher Stasheff
DOCTORS OF THE NIGHT (Novella)
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Foreword
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
About the Author
Books by William R. Forstchen
Day of Wrath Page 15