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city will create an unstoppable panic, well beyond any scare caused by preparing for an attack. It sounds like the right steps are being taken by every agency at the federal level. I just think it's time to get local and state authorities involved. We need to start securing water supply points and testing water."
    "Does anyone firmly disagree with this strategy?" the president asked.
    "I still think we should wait until the threat is confirmed. If we immediately take the steps that Ms. Kestler recommends, we have to raise the threat level to Red. There is no going back from there. It has only been done once since 9/11."
    "I can live with that," Kestler said.
    "You don't have to deal with the impact on the nation's transportation system, airports, borders…this goes far beyond just sliding the color over to Red."
    "Just one successful attack will change the nation forever, Mr. President. This has the potential to make 9/11 look like a pipe bomb," Kestler replied.
    Shelby liked the way she thought and acted. No nonsense, action oriented.
    "All right. Ms. Kennedy?" the president said.
    "Sir?" said Sandra Kennedy, the deputy secretary of defense, leaning her head inward to make eye contact with the president.
    "Let's activate the Army National Guard and Army Reserve immediately. Do whatever needs to be done to coordinate with each state. Make sure they understand that this is a nationally directed deployment."
    "Understood, Mr. President."
    "If we're lucky, we'll find out in a few hours that the virus never left Europe. I'm willing to deal with the fallout of putting the Guard and the appropriate government agencies on high alert. The situation in Monchegorsk is a nightmare. Even before Russia's unforgiveable wholesale slaughter of the population, it was—"
    "Unverified at the moment," the secretary of state interrupted.
    "It's been verified, Colin. However, I understand your concerns regarding the Russians," he said, shooting the secretary of state a harsh look.
    "Marianne, let's move the Homeland Security Advisory System threat level to Red. Severe risk of attack," the president decided.
    The president started going down the line, tasking the members, but Shelby was distracted by an alert on the built-in tabletop computer monitor in front of him. The monitor at his seat had been configured for him to send and receive intranet traffic from his own office to provide a way for his staff and immediate subordinates to pass him information while he was stuck in the White House situation room. So far, the messages had been routine, intended for him to review in between sessions. A flash priority message caught his eye at the top of the queue and all of his other message traffic stopped. He noticed that one of the president's aides, sitting at a chair behind the president, received a cell phone call. Even Shelby wasn't allowed to bring a cell phone into the situation room, so he knew this must have been an internal communication. The aide stood up and walked along the outside wall of the room toward him.
    "Director Shelby, I've been informed that you have a flash message," he stated.
    "Thank you. I just saw it."
    This exchange went mostly unnoticed in the room. It wasn't uncommon for senior government officials to receive critical messages while in the audience of the president. Shelby's eyes narrowed as he read the contents of the message. When he shifted his gaze to the president, he noticed that all eyes were focused on him. The president had stopped talking and was waiting for Shelby.
    "What happened?" the president said.
    "Six of the seven suspected Al Qaeda cells under surveillance in the greater New York/New Jersey metro area were taken out last night. Massacred in their sleep. I think it's fair to assume that some of the virus is here already," Shelby said, clearly shaken by the news.
    "What about the other cell?" Marianne Templeton asked.
    "Missing. They shook ground surveillance and never returned to their apartment last