"Tell me how bad the situation is," Dana said straight to the point, following Rossi into the tent.
A table, a map, and an LCD screen had been set up inside the tent, transforming it into a makeshift frontline headquarters.
One of the screens was broadcasting the news, and the male anchorman, with a look of grief and indignation on his face, declared, "Since the British and Canadians burned the White House in 1814, this is the first time an enemy force has successfully captured the center of power in this federation."
Before Rossi could reply, a soldier wearing a tactical helmet approached the two men. "Sir, we've surrounded the White House. The commandos are in place and on standby."
Rossi nodded and said gravely, "Please remain alert, Colonel. Any unauthorized action is strictly prohibited. We may be facing a serious hostage crisis. Do you understand me?"
Dana, confused, watched the colonel leave, but was about to ask more questions when Rossi pulled her aside.
The old man had a serious expression and deliberately lowered his voice as he said, "I think you can see, dear, the situation is very bad now."
"How bad is it exactly? Why are you in charge of the on-site command?" Dana looked puzzled.
Rossi opened the tent and looked at the Capitol Hill which was still ablaze. "I just got confirmation that Womack is currently out of contact."
Although Dana had vaguely guessed the worst outcome, she still found it hard to believe. "How many people were in the building at that time?"
Rossi's face was dark blue and he almost gritted his teeth when he spoke. "Most of the members of Congress and the cabinet members except the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State were inside."
Dana almost couldn't stand still. She took a deep breath and took a half step back before she could barely stand still. "If I remember correctly, in addition to the president and the first lady, the secretary of defense and the secretary of state also greeted the president of the Peninsula today.
That means they were all in the White House before. Then what is the hostage crisis you mentioned just now?"
"Just an hour ago, five minutes before the terrorists attacked the White House, the 'PEOC' was disconnected and has been out of contact ever since. And just now, the Secret Service agent responsible for the president's security issued the 'Olympus has fallen' alarm before he died."
Rossi's words almost made Dana's eyes go black. It goes without saying that "Olympus" is the code name of the White House.
The Presidential Emergency Operations Center, or PEOC, is a fortified bunker located beneath the east wing of the White House. It serves as a safe haven and communications hub for the president and senior leadership while they are in the White House during emergencies.
"Olympus Has Fallen" refers to the enemy's entry and control of the White House, but even before that, the PEOC had been disconnected, a terrifying message.
With the Capitol still ablaze and the PEOC out of contact, the nation's entire top structure has been razed.
The true horror of a leaderless state isn't the absence of a leader, but the resulting power struggle.
While this nation's top leadership is supposedly democratically elected, it has always been a game of power governed by certain rules.
Members of Congress, the president, and his cabinet are merely pawns on a chessboard. While not freely manipulated, each piece represents the will of a certain individual or group of individuals.
Now that the chessboard of power has been emptied, what kind of bloody storm will unfold outside the chessboard while new pieces are placed?
"'Designated Survivor'!" Dana reacted instantly. "We must contact the Secret Service immediately to confirm Ms. Maureen Cahill's condition."
Rossi waved her hand to signal her not to worry about it. "Although the Director of the Secret Service is currently missing due to the attack on Capitol Hill, Jack's friend, Deputy Director Joy Reacher, is currently escorting her to the Pentagon. A
judge from the D.C. Court of Appeals is on her way to meet with her. According to the principle of continuity of government, once it is confirmed that the president has been captured, Ms. Cahill will become the new president of this country."
"Sorry, my mind is a little confused right now." Dana covered her forehead and leaned against a pile of boxes with Rossi's support.
"You mean that Professor Cahill, uh, the wife of Congressman Zoe Anderson will be our new president? Damn, everyone knows her ministerial position is..."
Dana stopped talking in shock at this point, and subconsciously looked around. Seeing that she was surrounded by her own people like Hannah and Jiejie, she breathed a sigh of relief.
But at least she now roughly understood why Rossi had changed his low profile in the past and appeared here at the temporary command center.
Not only is the country leaderless right now, but the FBI is also in a state of disarray. While the loss of its director won't completely cripple the agency, the question of who to follow is undoubtedly a major one.
While veterans like Rossi, willing to step up and take charge, can temporarily suppress some of the noise, it will still bring significant trouble.
In the past, Rossi would have avoided such a nuisance, but who could blame his close disciple for trying to be a hero again?
"I understand. Arrange a helicopter to the Pentagon for me. Hannah and Jiejie come with me, and the rest of you stay here." Dana, after figuring out the details, immediately understood the role Rossi wanted her to play.
Rossi reached out to help Dana open the tent, pointing to a helicopter revving its propellers nearby. "It's all arranged. Stay safe. The new president needs your support."
"But Jack..." Hannah didn't understand the political intricacies. She simply wanted to stay where she was. After all, her husband was still in the white house, his life or death uncertain.
"There are plenty of special forces here. We can't help much." Jiejie, however, grasped the key point and immediately pulled Hannah along, following her female superior.
After watching the helicopter slowly ascend, Rossi was about to return to the makeshift command center in the tent when he hurried over to Clay and Aubrey and stopped him. "We found Jack's car. Kate says he's fine."
—
"There's the last corner up ahead. The second room after entering the hallway is the White House's 24/7 surveillance center."
Over an hour had passed since the White House was occupied, and Jack had been playing hide-and-seek with the terrorists under Kate's guidance.
The White House wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. Nearly 2,000 people worked there daily, handling various tasks.
For example, the Situation Room, located on the ground floor of the West Wing, not far from the famous Oval Office, the presidential office, housed at least 130 staff members.
They were assigned to five different observation teams monitoring various domestic and international events, as well as a team that accompanied the president when he traveled. They were divided into various positions, including video operators, communications technicians, and intelligence analysts.
Although most of the regular staff were evacuated promptly when the alarm sounded, many key positions remained staffed.
Therefore, for over an hour, although the gunfire outside had long since subsided, sporadic gunfire could still be heard from within the White House.
The terrorists not only brutally shot the injured Secret Service agents who had fallen to the ground, but also killed anyone they saw during the search and clearance process, with no intention of leaving anyone alive.
(End of this chapter)