The situation was thorny. The terrorist attack at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport left nearly five hundred casualties, instantly becoming a global flashpoint. Since the advent of modern terrorism, no single attack had ever produced such a high toll. You could say the victims of this Russian airport attack now constituted the world record for a terror incident.
Russia was enraged, giving the United States a seventy-two-hour deadline to provide an explanation, or face military retaliation.
The world's media went wild.
"The Prelude to World War III Begins"
"American Provocation; Russia Vows Retaliation"
"An Omen of the World's Destruction"
"Nuclear War Is Closer Than You Think"
…
Headlines of every kind dropped fresh by the minute. Not just in the U.S.—Europe, Asia, South America—the whole world was watching. When two superpowers throw tantrums, everyone else shakes with them.
Across the United States, every outlet hammered the story. Ever since Russia's official announcement, the White House had offered no direct response, and everyone wanted to know whether the reports were true. If they were—oh God—was World War III really about to start…
The White House didn't wait the full seventy-two hours. At hour twenty-six, it called a press conference, with President Palmer addressing the nation himself.
"First, I want to express my sorrow over the terrorist attack at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, and my condolences for those who lost their lives. Second, I must emphasize that this incident has nothing to do with the United States."
David Palmer is the President of the United States; his position is the country's position. America did not acknowledge any involvement, and Palmer's statement was plain. The press corps erupted.
He tapped the mic, and the room quieted. President Palmer continued: "The United States opposes and abhors terrorism in all forms—we are victims ourselves.
"Half a year ago, the White House suffered a terrorist attack by the White Masks. Terrorists occupied this building for three hours and forty-eight minutes. I personally nearly lost my life. God bless America—we held on.
"Yesterday, Russia suffered the deadliest terrorist attack in its history. According to our intelligence, the planner was Vladimir Makarov, a key figure in the White Masks. We face a common enemy. On counterterrorism, I believe our two nations should engage in comprehensive cooperation and focus our efforts on crushing terrorism…"
Before he finished, the room was loud again. Many hands shot up. Palmer pointed to a preselected reporter.
The chosen journalist stood, and the place fell silent.
"Mr. President, the Russian side claims they killed one terrorist at the scene, and that he was a CIA operative. How do you explain that?"
It was the question on everyone's mind. All cameras swung back to Palmer. He said gravely, "We do not deny the CIA identity. In fact, Makarov has long been a high-priority surveillance target. The deceased operative was an asset we placed near him. Unfortunately, his cover was blown, and he was used by Makarov as a tool to provoke war between the United States and Russia."
The room devolved into noise again, hands waving for questions. The President didn't take more. He turned back to the cameras and said, "The U.S. and Russia are global superpowers; our every move affects the entire world. I urge Russia to proceed with caution on this matter. I repeat: the United States cannot and will not use terrorism to attack Russia—let alone risk triggering World War III. That concludes my remarks."
President Palmer left the dais, and the excited reporters were left buzzing in the hall. The crisis response had gone through countless iterations inside the cabinet. Some had favored denying the operative's identity, but Palmer believed they should acknowledge it. Only by showing good faith could they expect the other side to do the same; otherwise events would trend exactly the way Makarov wanted.
…
As the President addressed the press, every U.S. intelligence agency had already spun up to full speed—and not just in America, but around the world.
Makarov is a recorded terrorist. He's wanted not just by the United States, but by Russia, France, the U.K., and many others. His infamy comes from a trail of attacks across multiple countries.
The CIA, America's largest foreign intelligence service, had thrown its headquarters and all domestic and overseas stations behind the hunt for intelligence on Makarov. Anything connected to him was rapidly collated, organized, and sent back home, then shared across agencies.
In addition to CIA reporting, CTU now had its own intelligence network. Since taking office, Jack Bauer had prioritized safe houses and intel collection, and the effort had begun to bear fruit.
Makarov's personnel, weapons, vehicles, routes—any detail could be the key to finding him, which meant a flood of information.
The White Masks and the Core Group, both connected to Makarov, were back under the global microscope, and intel on them was being gathered and sorted as well.
For analysts like Becky, the work was the heaviest. A tidal wave of reporting poured in—useful and useless. Analysts had to find the needles in the haystack, assemble, analyze, and extract what might actually help.
The process is mind-numbingly dull—and may not yield results.
…
The White House had presented its version of events, but people didn't necessarily buy it—Russia certainly wouldn't take it on faith. Everyone filled in the blanks according to their own assumptions. In Russia, public fury soared. Many pointed out that regardless of whether the dead man was undercover, he had participated in the attack. He murdered innocent Russians…
That argument left the White House at a loss. Whether by choice or to preserve his cover, Joseph Allen had taken part in the massacre. He had Russian blood on his hands.
All the White House could do was reiterate its stance and announce a \$20 million bounty for Makarov—alive. Washington was trying to signal to Moscow that it was doing everything possible to clear the air. But it wasn't enough to cool Russian rage.
Angry crowds gathered to protest outside the U.S. embassy. Tensions spiked.
A day later, CIA Director Martin Davis resigned, taking responsibility. Even so, it failed to satisfy the Russian public. Anti-American sentiment surged across Russia.
That same day, Russian forces on a peacekeeping mission in the Middle East clashed with U.S. troops. The two sides had long had minor frictions and were currently disputing control of a patrol route.
Generally both sides had shown restraint—first come, first served. But today, a U.S. patrol truck took the route first, and the Russians did not yield as usual. Instead, they rammed straight in.
The airport attack's aftershocks had begun to show.
______
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