Sam was still unpacking her new office in "Neverland" when major U.S. cities started falling off the map. It being Area 51, their first thought was alien invasion. Because of her field experience, Sam found herself summoned to the base command center but all she could was watch along with the others as more cities fell off the map. Within minutes military satellite images showed mushroom clouds over Denver, Baltimore, Atlanta, and the other cities.

"Not aliens," Sam decreed. "They would have used energy weapons. Those are mushroom clouds," she said pointing to the screen. "Nukes." She closed her eyes on a wave of nausea remembering Daniel's suffering and death after Kelowna and said a silent prayer for the thousands if not millions who would soon be suffering the same.

"The Russians," General Freemont growled. He'd come up through the ranks during the height of the Cold War and would forever think of the Russia as the enemy.

"If it had been the Russians, we'd have detected the launch of the missiles," a major whose name Sam had yet to learn informed the general. "Same thing if they'd used bombers, sir."

The general looked to her for confirmation. "The major's correct," she confirmed.

A young lieutenant said what they were all thinking, "Terrorists."

"God help us," Freemont whispered.