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identified them as Taepodong-2s. From where they’re sited now they could reach Alaska or Hawaii.”
    “The West Coast?” asked the President.
    “No, that’s a bit beyond their range.”
    The President smiled weakly. “Good. I’m scheduled to give a speech in San Francisco tonight.”
    “But they could hit Japan,” said the Security Advisor.
    “The Japanese will go apeshit when they see this,”
    Defense rumbled, almost as if he was enjoying the thought.
    CIA pointed out, “You remember a couple of years ago North Korea launched a whole series of missiles across the Pacific and we didn’t do anything about it.”
    “Those were just tests,” said the President.
    “Yes, and now they put a bird into orbit. We’ve got to assume those other two missiles they’ve got on their pads won’t be tests, either. They could hit Hawaii, the Philippines, even northern Australia.”
    “Screw Australia,” the Defense Secretary snapped. “They could wipe out Honolulu! We’ve got to take them out!” Banging a fist on the arm of his chair, Defense insisted, “We’ve got to!”
    “And start World War III?” the Secretary of State countered. “How do you think the Chinese would react if we hit North Korea?”
    “Hell, their satellites have been knocked out, too.”
    The President asked, “What do the Chinese have to say about this?”
    State hesitated a fraction of a moment, then replied, “It’s been difficult communicating with them. The satellites are down and we don’t have a direct cable link with Beijing.”
    “They’re being inscrutable, I bet,” said Defense, allowing himself a tight smile.
    “They have a fleet of nuclear missiles with the range to reach every city in the United States,” the Secretary of State said firmly.
    The CIA director spoke up again. “Do we want to take the risk of starting World War III? A nuclear war?”
    “I do not,” said the President.
    “But those missiles,” the Security Advisor said, jabbing an accusing finger at the wall screen. “They’re going to fire them. And soon, before Pyongyang’s troops can reach the site.”
    Turning to the Homeland Security director, the President said, “How soon can you get Hawaii and Alaska alerted?”
    Homeland Security looked startled. He had formerly been the head of one of the nation’s largest construction companies, known to the media as a can-do kind of executive who wasn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty.
    “We’re talking about evacuating Honolulu?” he asked.
    “And Anchorage, maybe Juneau.”
    “On a half hour’s notice,” added Defense.
    The former construction executive shook his head. “We’d have to start right now.”
    “That’s going to cause quite a panic,” State pointed out.
    “But you can’t evacuate a city the size of Honolulu in half an hour!” Homeland Security said, almost pleading. “You’ve got to start right away. Now.”
    “Wait a minute,” the President said. “What about our missile defense system?”
    All eyes turned to the Secretary of Defense, who shifted uneasily in his chair. He and the President had cut funding for missile defense every year they’d been in office.
    “Um ... the system’s still in a test and evaluation stage.” Defense temporized.
    “I was told it was operational,” said the President.
    “It was declared operational...” Defense let the implications hang in the air.
    “You mean we couldn’t shoot down those missiles if the North Koreans launch them?”
    “When they launch them,” the Security Advisor corrected.
    “Can we shoot them down or can’t we?” the President demanded.
    Defense answered with a shrug and said, “We can try. But we certainly couldn’t stop a full-scale Chinese attack.”
    “There’s the Russians, too,” the CIA director pointed out.
    The President raised both hands, silencing them all.
    After a moment’s thought, he said, “We will activate our missile defense system. And alert our own