“We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent.”— J.
Robert Oppenheimer
SECTION I: THE BRIEFING FROM THE RIDGE
MATTHEW ELLIS
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
THE PENTAGON PRESS BRIEFING ROOM, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
The presidential seal on the front of the mahogany podium had a small scratch near the eagle’s left talon, a minor flaw caught by the high-definition lenses of the White House press corps.
The room was packed tight, a suffocating wall of flashbulbs, low whispers, and the heavy rustle of journalists shifting in their seats.
Behind the podium, two four-star generals stood completely motionless, their expressions locked in a grim, rigid mask.
When the President stepped up to the microphones, he didn’t adjust his papers.
He didn’t look at his chief of staff waiting in the wings.
He simply gripped the edges of the lectern, his knuckles turning white under the bright television lights.
“My fellow Americans, and citizens of the world.”
His voice despite his efforts to stave it off, carried the gravelly, exhausted weight of a man who had spent the entire night in the underground command center, watching satellite feeds that defied every law of nature.
“This afternoon, the city of New York became the frontline of an unprecedented conflict. We faced an existential threat that did not originate from any hostile state, nor from any nation on this Earth. It came from beyond our world, a coordinated invasion from an extra-dimensional cosmos. The devastation visited upon Manhattan was immense, and the loss of life is something this nation will mourn for generations to come.”
He paused, looking directly into the primary network camera, his tone shifting from solemn grief to a steady, commanding strength.
“But the story of yesterday is not a story of defeat, because when the darkness arrived, the human spirit fought back. The invasion was halted, the enemy vanguard was utterly destroyed, and our world was secured. This victory was achieved through the extraordinary bravery of our police and emergency services, our National Guard, and a coalition of exceptional individuals known to the public as the Avengers.”
The room remained absolutely silent, the journalists holding their breath as the President addressed the elephant in the global room.
“We have heard the questions rising from every corner of this country. We have heard the concerns regarding the nature of these heroes, their authority, and the technology displayed on the streets of Manhattan. Let me be clear: the Department of Defense and this administration are fully engaged in understanding the events of yesterday. We are looking at a tactical landscape that has changed forever. We are looking at an earth that is no longer alone in the universe.”
He leaned forward, his voice dropping into a deeper, unyielding register.
“To the families searching for loved ones in the rubble of Midtown, to the citizens of New York who are tonight cleaning the dust from their streets: this government will not leave your side. To those who look at the sky tonight with fear, wondering what else is waiting out there in the dark: let yesterday be your answer. We are not defenseless. We have seen what ordinary humans can do when they stand together, and we have seen the protectors who will step into the breach to shield us.”
He took a slow, deep breath, his eyes sweeping across the rows of reporters before he delivered his final, unscripted line.
“The portal is closed. The city is ours. May God bless the brave souls who defended New York, and may God bless the United States of America.”
The President stepped away from the lectern, apparently prepared to leave without answering questions, before the briefing room erupted into overlapping voices.
Reporters rose from their seats with hands raised, each person shouting loudly enough to be heard above several dozen equally desperate competitors.
The White House Press Secretary moved toward the podium, but the President stopped her with a small gesture and returned to the microphones.
“I will answer several questions, although there are details I cannot discuss while military and criminal investigations remain active.”
The President selected a grey-haired correspondent seated near the centre, who stood immediately without waiting for the room to become quiet.
“Mr President, several independent reports now claim that a nuclear missile was launched directly toward Manhattan during the final stages of the invasion, can you confirm whether the United States government authorized a nuclear strike against its own largest city while millions of civilians remained trapped inside?”
The question landed with enough force to silence most of the room, leaving only the mechanical clicking of camera shutters behind it.
The President stared at the correspondent for several seconds before bringing both hands back to the edges of the lectern.
“I can unfortunately confirm that a nuclear weapon was launched toward Manhattan during the final stages of yesterday’s attack.”
The room exploded before he could continue, reporters shouting questions about authorization, the disregard for potential civilian casualties, and the identity of whoever had given the order.
The President remained behind the podium without speaking until the noise gradually lowered enough for his answer to continue.
“The order did not originate from the White House, nor did it come from the joint chiefs. What we encountered yesterday was a catastrophic breakdown in the localized chain of command. In the chaos of the initial breach, a rogue, radicalized element within the military command structure panicked. A high-ranking officer–convinced that Manhattan was already a lost cause–completely bypassed standard verification protocols and issued an unauthorized launch order to a single fighter pilot.”
He gripped the edges of the mahogany podium, looking straight down the lens of the primary network camera.
“The pilot executed that order. Thankfully, due to the direct intervention of S.H.I.E.L.D operatives and Tony Stark, that missile was intercepted and redirected away from our citizens. But let me be entirely clear about how this administration is handling the fallout: the commander who issued that unauthorized order and the pilot who pulled the trigger have already been stripped of their rank. They are currently in federal custody at a secure facility, facing full court-martial and active treason charges.”
He paused, letting the weight of the word hang in the silent room before cutting off the next wave of questions.
“The federal government will not tolerate rogue actors making unilateral decisions with our strategic grid. A full investigation into how this security breach occurred is already underway under the supervision of S.H.I.E.L.D., but because it is an active criminal investigation, that is all I can comment on at this time.”
Several reporters continued shouting, but the President pointed toward a correspondent standing near the aisle on the right side of the room.
The man wore a dark blue suit and an silver cross lapel pin on , while the press credentials hanging from his neck identified him as a political correspondent for the National Sentinel.
“Mr President, you have repeatedly praised the Avengers, but what exactly did your administration or the military do to prevent this invasion? From what Americans witnessed yesterday, the government failed to protect New York and then left the defence of the planet to a collection of powered vigilantes are we supposed to accept that national security now belongs to unaccountable enhanced individuals simply because they happened to help us yesterday? What comes next, sir, mutants serving openly inside our armed forces while ordinary soldiers are expected to trust people whose abilities cannot be controlled?”
A murmur travelled through the room, carrying a mixture of agreement, discomfort, and immediate recognition of the prejudice behind the final question.
One of the generals standing behind the President shifted almost imperceptibly, but the President’s expression remained completely still beneath the lights.
“Your question begins with several assumptions that deserve correction before I address the larger concern behind them.”
He leaned closer to the microphones, his voice remaining calm despite the sharpness gathering beneath every carefully chosen word.
“Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton were not unaffiliated vigilantes who happened to wander into the defense of Manhattan. Both individuals were trained government operatives serving within the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division when the invasion began. Captain Steven Rogers remains a commissioned officer of the United States Army and one of the most decorated soldiers in this nation’s history. Anthony Stark has worked directly with federal defence and intelligence agencies, while Thor previously cooperated with American authorities during the incident in New Mexico. The people now called the Avengers were not strangers to this government, although they had never before operated together on this scale.”
The reporter attempted to interrupt, but the President continued before another question could be forced between his words.
“Our military did respond yesterday, although communication failures, damaged infrastructure, and the speed of the enemy advance severely limited that response. American soldiers, National Guard personnel, police officers, firefighters, and federal agents fought throughout Manhattan, and many died while protecting civilians. Acknowledging the decisive role played by the Avengers does not erase the courage of those men and women, nor does honouring our military require us to diminish anybody who fought beside them.”
His gaze remained fixed upon the reporter, whose earlier confidence had become noticeably less comfortable beneath the attention of the entire room.
“As for your question regarding mutants, I reject the suggestion that an American becomes less trustworthy because of the circumstances of their birth, any citizen who meets the lawful standards required for military service deserves to be judged by their conduct, their discipline, and their commitment to this country. Whether that citizen possesses an unusual genetic trait does not determine their loyalty, any more than their race, religion, or gender determines their courage.”
Several voices rose immediately, but they were drowned beneath a small wave of unexpected applause from somewhere near the back of the room.
The President waited until the applause faded before completing his response in the same measured, unyielding tone.
“Yesterday, this planet was defended by ordinary human beings, enhanced individuals alike. The Chitauri did not pause to separate acceptable Americans from unacceptable ones before they began killing people in our streets. I will not dishonour those who stood together against them by encouraging that division now.”
The National Sentinel correspondent lowered himself back into his seat, while dozens of other reporters raised their hands and called for recognition. This chapter was taken from novelping . com without permission.
The President selected a younger woman standing near the front, whose notebook was already filled with cramped handwriting and several underlined questions.
“Mr President, what can you tell us about the green energy that spread across Manhattan during the final minutes of the battle?
Thousands of witnesses claim they were temporarily empowered; given weapons, armour, or enhanced strength by the individual being called “Green Lantern” does the government know who he is, whether he is a mutant?
And whether that event could happen again?”
The President looked towards the reporter who had asked the question.
“We have confirmed that a large-scale energy event originated from the enhanced individual identified as Green Lantern while he was maintaining… a barrier across the alien gateway, that energy spread throughout most of Manhattan and temporarily formed protective equipment, tools, weapons, and other structures around thousands of people, from what we have come to understand the effects appear to have responded differently to each recipient, often producing whatever that person required to survive, defend others, or continue resisting the invasion.”
He paused here
“Current medical assessments have found no evidence that the event permanently altered the people affected by it. The enhanced strength, armor, and constructed weapons disappeared shortly before the alien threat was neutralized and the gateway closed, although federal health agencies will continue monitoring those exposed, as of this moment we have found no indication that the green energy was radioactive, infectious, or otherwise harmful under the conditions observed yesterday.”
The reporter raised her voice before another journalist could interrupt with a separate question.
“Does that mean the government has identified Green Lantern, and is he currently being questioned or held by federal authorities?”
The President’s expression tightened slightly, revealing the boundary between what the government knew and what it wanted the world to believe it knew.
“No federal agency currently has Green Lantern in custody, and this administration has issued no order for his detention.”
Another burst of questions rose from the room, but the President continued steadily over the growing noise.
“We have not confirmed his legal identity, we cannot presently confirm whether the term Green Lantern is a personal identity, a military designation, or a title belonging to a larger institution. Available footage and eyewitness testimony suggest that he is human, but we do not possess enough verified information to make a definitive public statement.”
The screens shifted toward a recording of Green Lantern suspended beneath the enormous emerald barrier above Stark Tower.
His body appeared almost insignificant beneath the structure he was holding, while alien vessels repeatedly crashed against its opposite side.
“What we can confirm is what the people of New York witnessed with their own eyes yesterday. Green Lantern conducted search-and-rescue operations throughout Manhattan, shielded civilians from hostile fire, and removed survivors from collapsed buildings. He then prevented the main Chitauri invasion force from passing through the gateway while the Avengers carried out the operation that ultimately closed it.”
The President looked toward the footage for several seconds, watching the emerald barrier withstand another distant explosion before continuing.
“That capability represents an extraordinary national security concern, and any responsible government would be negligent if it pretended otherwise. An unidentified person who can construct structures across a city, cross great distances in seconds, and temporarily empower thousands requires serious examination, although acknowledging that concern does not require us to treat the man who saved those lives as an enemy.”
He returned his attention to the primary camera, speaking as much to Green Lantern as to the reporters standing before him.
“This administration is requesting that Green Lantern contact federal authorities voluntarily so that we may better understand what occurred yesterday. He is not being asked to surrender himself, and he is not being threatened with arrest for defending the city of New York. We are asking for cooperation from somebody whose actions suggest that protecting human life matters deeply to him.”
Several reporters immediately shouted questions about whether the request represented an ultimatum, but the President shook his head firmly.
“It is an invitation to speak, because gratitude and caution are not mutually exclusive responsibilities for a government facing an entirely new reality. The people of New York deserve answers about the power that moved through them, and Green Lantern may be the only person capable of providing those answers. Until we know more, he will be judged by the actions we can verify, and yesterday those actions saved thousands of American lives.”
The President stepped back from the lectern while the press corps erupted into another uncontrolled wall of shouted questions.
The Press Secretary moved quickly toward the microphones, announcing that no further questions would be answered during the briefing.
The President turned away from the cameras and disappeared between the two silent generals, leaving the footage of Green Lantern holding back the invasion displayed across every screen behind him.