Peter rushed down the stairs. 10 minutes. He took out the guard near the door. 9 minutes. He heard the boosters starting. 8 minutes. He started to lockpick the door. 2 minutes. The door was unlocked. 0 minutes. The rocket took off. Peter’s heart sank. He had failed his mission.

Peter grabbed his coffee and put on his coat. “Another tiring day at work,” he mumbled to no one in particular. That is when the most unexpected thing happened. Two NSA agents appeared at the door of his apartment.

“Peter F. John, we need you,” the agent named Albert said.

“To do what? Make a cup of coffee?” Peter joked.

“Sir, this is serious matter. The NSA needs you to take down Lightning Industries. You did well stopping a nuclear war between the United States and Russia.”

“Do you mean the Lightning Industries that can blow up the moon with a touch of a computer? Oh yeah, by the way, you didn’t give me the 100,000 dollars like you promised.”

“Sir, are there any other Lightning Industries? And the President cheated you, not the NSA,” the agent said.

“Can’t your NSA goons take the company down?”

“The NSA does not have the right to take action. We can’t interrogate people, send people on suicide missions, etc.”

“So, what’s going to happen?”

“They are going to turn America to civil war.”

Peter was stunned. He always thought Lightning Industries was the greatest company in the world. How could Lightning Industries start a civil war in America?

“Sir? Are you there?” the NSA agent asked.

“How are they going to send America into civil war?”

“By crashing a rocket into Los Angeles. The rocket will have the U.S.A flag. People will blame the government. The second stage will involve a nuclear attack on the west coast. The attacks push America onto the edge of civil war. Finally, Lightning Industries will send in their troops and overthrow the government. Peter, the CIA and the FBI are made up of spies for Lightning Industries. The NSA intercepted a message about this.”

“What do I get for saving the world?”

“3,000,000 dollars, and we will buy you a nice estate just outside of New York City.”

“Okay. I’ll do it. Just make sure I get the reward.”

“Start Project: Civil War now.”

“Yes Mr. Lightning.”

“Oh yeah, and one more thing. Kill that highly skilled agent Peter John while you’re at it.”

Peter was finally there. The tallest building in the world. Lightning Tower. 520 floors and headquarters of the first multi-trillion dollar company. Armed with a pistol and a lock-picking kit, he knew he would never pass through security. His mission was to make sure the rocket never launched. “Freeze!” the armed guards shouted. Peter kicked the first guard and sent him crashing into the guard behind him. The four remaining guards started to fire away with their rifles. Peter took cover behind a truck. He loaded his pistol and fired at the guards. All the guards dropped to the floor and were saying their last prayers, and soon they all fell and lay motionless in a pool of blood. Peter slowly lock-picked the back door and went inside. He got in the service elevator and went to the control room.

He was surprised to see the control room empty. He looked at the enormous screen. He saw the target. Los Angeles. “What!! Only 10 more minutes till the rocket is launched!” Peter yelled.

The elevator down from the control room seemed like the slowest elevator that he’d ever been on. The elevator went above the 519th and a half floor, so he had to take the stairs down.

Peter rushed down the stairs. 10 minutes. He took out the guard near the door. 9 minutes. He heard the boosters starting. 8 minutes. He started to lockpick the door. 2 minutes. The door was unlocked. 0 minutes. The rocket took off.  Peter’s heart sank. He had failed his mission.

“Breaking News. A U.S. rocket crashed into the heart of Los Angeles, California, leaving 2,000 dead and many more injured. Revolts in San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, and Oakland have led California to the brink of civil war,” the reporter announced. Peter’s heart sank. If he had just been a little earlier, the U.S. would have nothing to worry about. Then he remembered something. The nuclear attack.

The Story of Lightning Industries

Lightning Industries was originally a weapons company that was founded in 1971 by 56- year-old Mark Lightning. He provided weapons to the government during the Iraq War and other various wars fought by the U.S. Mark bought tons of companies, and Lighting Industries’ yearly profit jumped to $12,234,109,459,017 in 2013, making it the first company worth a trillion dollars. Mark died on August 23, 2014, at the age of 93, after helping to fight Ebola in Africa. James Lightning took over the multi-trillion dollar company. Unlike his father, he was corrupted by evil and didn’t think about the middle and lower classes. His company became a monopoly in every department, and other companies fell like helpless chickens. His ultimate goal is to take over America. He gained control of the CIA, FBI, Army, Air Force, and the U.S National Guard by persuading (and bribing) them to take down the U.S government.

“I’m never going to get another job again,” Peter mumbled to himself.

That’s when two Lightning Industries troopers smashed through the door. “We have been ordered to put you in The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Fremont County, Colorado until you have to present your case at court,” one yelled.

“What the !@#$!! What the !@#$ did I do? And did you really have to crash into my door? Have you guys heard something called a !@#$ing DOORBELL!!”

“Mr. John, you have been charged with assault and murder,” the buff guard said.

“Who did I murder?”

“You killed 5 Lighting Industries guards and injured 7 guards, 3 of whom are in critical condition.”

“You’re not the police though. You can’t arrest me!”

“Refuse to come with us, and we will shoot.” The guards then pulled out their pistols. “Last chance,” they warned Peter.

“NEVER!!!” Peter shouted.

There were gunshots and screams from the apartment. Then, everything went silent.

Peter woke up with his eyes bloodshot and his chest throbbing with pain. He slowly got up from his bed. He looked across the room. He saw Albert sleeping on a chair.

“Albert?” Peter moaned.

Albert’s eyes fluttered open.

“My God, Peter, you’re awake!” Albert rushed toward him.

“Yeah, I think I realized that I’m awake. What am I doing here?”

“Those Lightning Industries guards shot shrapnel into your chest. Our NSA agent on the street heard those gunshots and called the nearby hospital. Fortunately you live on the first floor so the medics could find you quickly. Right now you’re at a classified location.”

“How long have I been out?”

“2 weeks in a coma.”

“What has happened in the last 2 weeks?”

“America’s military forces have taken sides. The states of California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and every state west of Louisiana have seceded and and declared themselves the Consolidated States of America. Lightning Industries, the Army, and Coast Guard have sided with the CSA. The Air Force went against Lightning Industries for framing them for the nuclear attacks on Portland, Oregon and the rocket crash on Los Angeles. So the Air Force, Marines, and Navy remain with the U.S government.”

“Wait. Are you telling me that they nuked Portland?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“S@#$!”

“Pete, don’t you realize what the biggest part is?”

“This might be World War III.”

Peter stared a long time at the building. The White House. The Fountain was gushing up water and the Columns towered high. He was going to meet the President to plan a strategy to combat the CSA.

“Good morning Mr. President, Christopher Beck.”

“This isn’t a good morning, but I’ll take the greeting,” said the stressed president.

“So, what is our strategy?”

“We surround the CSA. The Navy and Coast Guard will take the seas. The Marines are already securing the Mississippi River, and will join the 64th Tank Division en route to Topeka, Kansas.”

“Well, Mr. President, what do I do?”

“You’re going with the Navy SEALS and Albert to Boise, Idaho, to take down Lightning Industries’s main headquarters.”

“But isn’t Lightning Tower in San Diego the headquarters?”

“That’s what we thought, until the NSA figured out that the broadcasts Lightning Industries were sending to the CSA government were coming from Boise, Idaho. If you take Lightning Industries down, the CSA will lack weapons, supplies, and other troops.”

“What do I get?”

“The same reward you were supposed to get for stopping this civil war.”

Peter, Albert, and ten other Navy SEALS parachuted down from the plane. The wind blew against Peter’s cheeks as he floated down from the high altitude. The team met up in town, not wearing their uniforms of course. “Alright guys,” Peter whispered through the the comlinks in their ears. “Our operation will consist of two teams, with six people in each group. The first team will secure the perimeter. The U.S hacked their security system, so it should be easy to get in. The second group will make its way inside, and the first group will follow. Then, we plant the bomb inside the command center, and we get out. Understood?”

“Yes sir,” the soldiers said in unision.

Peter, Albert, and four Navy SEALS made their way through the dark building. It took them 30 minutes to find the building that was underground in the sewers.

“Hawk-1, this is Easy-4. We’ve secured the perimeter and took out some guards. We’ll be joining you soon,” the commander of the first group said.

“Roger that, Easy-4. We haven’t encountered any hostiles yet.”

Peter took out the map of the headquarters. He saw that the control room was the first door to the right. The team walked down the hall. That’s when about 50 CSA Army Special Ops surrounded the team, blocking their path to the control room where the self-button was. They had no chance of getting in.

“Hey Pete,” Albert whispered. “I’ll take on these guards, and you make a beeline for the control room.”

“But you’ll surely die,” Peter responded.

“There are more important things at stake the my life, Peter.”

Peter whispered Albert’s plan to the other Navy SEALS. First, Albert started to fire at the guards and threw a smoke grenade. The guards couldn’t see Peter and the rest of the troops making their way to the control room in the smoke and the confusion. Peter pushed the door open and found hundreds of workers inside.

“Everyone evacuate this building immediately!!!” Peter shouted to the workers. The workers didn’t leave at first, but after they saw the guns, they rushed out the exit.

“It’s going to take some time for me to hack this main control panel and blow this place up,” the technician said.

“How long is it going to take?” Peter asked.

“Five minutes.”

Albert was having trouble fending off the troops. He already had wounds in his foot, arm, and leg. He was getting drowsy. He knew he was losing blood. He started to collapse. His eyelids closed, and he thought about home. He then lost consciousness.

“Vulcan-5, this is Hawk-1. Easy-4 and Hawk-1 need extraction,” Peter shouted into his comlink.

“Roger that, Hawk-1. ETA 2 minutes,” the Vulcan-5 commander shouted.

Soon, Easy-4 and Vulcan-5 arrived to remove Peter and the rest of Hawk-1. Except for Albert. Peter flew away in the helicopter, and all the troops shouted with joy as they watched the factory blow up. Shrapnel flew in all different directions. A mushroom cloud hovered over Boise. All the troops strapped their gas masks on. It was the second atomic bomb used in war. Peter knew that they had probably now won. But not without a cost.

EPILOGUE

On January 14, 2017, the CSA merged back with the USA. James Lightning was reluctant to sell the company to another big company, Energy Enterprises, but advisors convinced him it was for the best. The Lighting Conspiracy was released by the government and James Lightning was put on trial for treason and sure enough, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Energy Enterprises helped America rebuild after the second American Civil War. Albert Goodman and Peter John were awarded the Medal of Honor for their bravery in combat. Peter retired to his new house near the Hudson River in New York. He does not want to be disturbed, but that time will have to wait.

Peter was reading his morning newspaper when the NSA showed up at his door. The NSA agent started to walk forward and began to talk to Peter.

“Peter, we have orders from the president to extract you and bring you to Washington D.C.”

“To do what?”

“We have another mission for you.”