Chapter 2102 - 857: Real Men Fight

March 30, 1998, 4:00 AM, Mediterranean.

Five missiles streaked across the night sky, trailing fiery tails.

They were not headed in the same direction.

The first rose from Southern Lebanon, launched by ZZD in retaliation. The second came from the Gaza Strip, HMS in counterattack. The third, fourth, and fifth missiles - from different launch points and different factions, but all targeted at one thing.

Squid.

The "Arrow" anti-missile system activated in the seventh second after the alarm sounded. Three interceptor missiles took off from silos outside Tel Aviv, colliding with the incoming targets at the edge of the atmosphere, exploding into five fiery balls.

But the fourth got through.

It was an old Frog-7 tactical rocket, with poor accuracy, originally meant to fall into the Mediterranean. But a malfunction in its engine resulted in insufficient thrust, causing its trajectory to lower - it eventually landed next to a gas station in Ashkelon.

The explosion ignited three oil storage tanks.

The fire lit up the sky halfway.

At 4:17 AM, the Squid Cabinet convened an emergency meeting in the underground command center in Jerusalem.

The meeting lasted only eleven minutes.

In the eleventh minute, Prime Minister Benjamin Shamir put down the phone and said to the Minister of Defense sitting opposite:

"Order the General Staff. Launch a full-scale counterattack."

7:00 AM, Suez Canal Authority.

Three documents lay spread out on Director Mahmoud Fazi's desk.

First: A notification from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, according to the President's instructions, the Suez Canal is "indefinitely closed due to the deterioration of regional security," the reopening time to be announced.

Second: A notification from the Panama Maritime Authority, all vessels flying the Panamanian flag should immediately withdraw from the Eastern Mediterranean, violators will have their registration revoked.

Third: A notice from Lloyd's of London, effective immediately, Squid, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are designated as "high-risk war zones," insurance rates increased by 500%.

Fazi pushed the three documents aside and told the secretary standing at the door:

"Call the Presidential Palace. Tell them, global shipping, is cut."

8:00 AM, London, Baltic Exchange.

The usual hubbub of the trading floor was absent this morning.

Replaced by an unfamiliar silence. Everyone stared at the screens, at the fluctuating numbers, and at the brief notification from the Suez Canal Authority.

"Canal closed."

A trader stood up, his voice hoarse:

"Brent crude... has broken sixty dollars."

No one responded.

Another trader, staring at his screen, muttered:

"A container from Shanghai to Hamburg... was twelve hundred yesterday, forty-six hundred today."

A third trader began dialing. No answer. He dialed again, still no answer. He slammed the phone on the desk, cursing loudly.

The curse echoed in the quiet trading hall for a long time.

9:00 AM, Tokyo, Keidanren Hall.

Emergency meeting.

Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo, Marubeni - the presidents of all the major Japanese trading companies were present.

Presiding over the meeting was Keidanren's chairman, the seventy-year-old Inai Kei.

The first thing he said was:

"Gentlemen, we are facing the greatest crisis since World War II."

A heavy silence ensued.

He continued:

"The Suez Canal is closed, and the Cape of Good Hope route is blocked by three hundred ships. At the Panama Canal, the United States has said they will prioritize their own fleets. Our cars, our electronic components, our chemicals - all stuck midway."

The president of Mitsubishi raised his hand.

"Chairman, what does the government say?"

Inai shook his head.

"The government? They're more panicked than we are. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry called just now, asking if I could coordinate for the merchant fleet to bypass the Cape of Good Hope. I said possible, but it would take three months. In three months, all our factories will have to stop production."

Dead silence filled the meeting room.

10:00 AM, Mexico City, top floor of the "Feathered Serpent Temple."

Victor stood by the window, looking out at Paseo de la Reforma.

There were fewer cars on the streets than yesterday. It wasn't traffic, it was a decrease. Many companies were closed today, many schools canceled classes, many people chose to stay home and watch TV.

On TV, CNN was broadcasting images - the burning oil tanks in Ashkelon, the announcement of the Suez Canal closure, the footage of the London trader slamming the phone.

Bramo entered the room.

"The statement is ready."

Victor turned around.

"Read it."

Bramo opened the folder.

"'With the strongest terms, condemns Squid's barbaric bombardment of the Mexican embassy in Tel Aviv. This attack resulted in the death of seven Mexican citizens, including a ten-year-old child. It is a blatant violation of international law and human conscience.'

'The Mexican Government declares: First, severing all diplomatic relations with Squid effective immediately; second, all Squid diplomats and their families are to leave Mexico within seventy-two hours; third, freezing all Squid official assets in Mexico; fourth, canceling all trade, cultural, technological cooperation projects between the two countries; fifth, demanding Squid Government take full responsibility for the bombing, issue a public apology, compensate the victims' families, and hand over the perpetrators.'

'Mexico will not engage in any form of contact with Squid until the above demands are met.'

'The Government of the United Mexican States calls on the international community to jointly condemn the barbaric acts of Squid and take effective measures to stop its acts of war. We firmly believe that justice will prevail, and the perpetrators will be punished.'"

Victor listened, nodded.

"Release it."

Bramo turned to leave.

"Wait."

Bramo turned back.

Victor walked to the desk and picked up another document.