State of Affairs | America

[Jay]

Boris Nemtsov sat in the Oval Office, staring at the map of Chechnya spread across the table. His eyes traced the mountain ranges, the villages dotting the region. Dimitry Smirnoff stood beside him, arms crossed, his expression hard. Finally, Dimitry spoke, his voice low.

"Boris, I wouldn’t worry too much about the situation in Chechnya right now. We’ve got enough resources on the ground. I'll talk to the GRU and FSB, and make sure they’re on top of things."

Boris nodded, before saying what was on his mind. "But this attack in London… it could spark something. The terrorists might see it as a signal. If they get inspired, we could be looking at a resurgence of resistance in the region. Worse yet, a radical extremist movement aong with a national liberation movement would be catastrophic."

"I wouldn't put that much worry. Alkhanov has been holding the line in Chechnya. If anything were to change it would be his head rolling first. I doubt he'd let that happen."

Boris leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed as his fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. "I know. That's what concerns me, Dasha. We've been holding the line in Chechnya, but if this spreads…we’ll have another front to manage. And we can’t afford that right now."

Dimitry shifted his stance slightly, "I'll handle it. Between the GRU and FSB, we’ll keep it contained. But this isn’t just about security forces, Boris. We have to consider the ideological impact too. The people are watching how we handle London, and how we respond to these kinds of attacks. It sends a message, both to our enemies and to those who might be thinking about picking up arms. People want to see a leader who can protect them. There is already panic with people fleeing public spots over false threats or pure Islamophobia."

Nemtsov nodded, his mind already turning to another pressing matter. "Speaking of which, I want to talk to Sinclair. It would be a good sign for the world that Russia and America are on the same page regarding the attack in London as well as a potential response."

Dimitry frowned, his distrust of the Americans no hidden secret within the walls of the Kremlin. "Sinclair might be playing the long game here, Boris. I don't trust the Americans. Not fully. They’ll cooperate when it suits them, but you know how it goes. They’ve got their own interests. We need to watch our back."

Boris shrugged. "Granting Russia an exemption—he took a real bullet for us. He didn’t have to, but he stood by us. That means something. We need to make sure we're in sync on London, especially with the Americans already dealing with their own mess."

Dimitry shook his head. "He gave you an exception because he realized the risks of enforcing that policy against Russia. He is an American Boris. He cares about his own bottom line. He is no different to his predecessors."

Boris gave a half-smile, shaking his head slightly. "Benjamin Sinclair’s not like the others. He’s taken risks for us. Besides, if we’re going to navigate this crisis, we need them. We can't afford to be left out of the loop. I’ll talk to him, see what the British are thinking."

Dimitry sighed, knowing the decision had already been made. "Alright. I’ll arrange the call. But Boris… just keep your guard up. Allies or not, this is still politics. He'll throw you under the bus when it suits him."

Nemtsov stood and placed a hand on Dimitry’s shoulder. "I know, Dasha. But a world where Russia and America cooperate is a better world for all our children."

Then a secretary would arrange a call, directly to the White House and saying it was President Nemtsov of Russia wishing to speak with President Sinclair.

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Secret​

President Sinclair was sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. It was the late evening in Washington, and almost all of the President's staff in the West Wing had gone home by now. President Sinclair was smoking his pipe while he looked over documents that had been sent from the Defense Department regarding ways to assist the British in response to the attack on London. Sinclair was almost never pictured in public without a jacket it. Right now, his three-piece suit was partially deconstructed. His jacket was laying on one of the chairs on the Oval Office while puffed on his pipe. He picked up an intelligence briefing from the CIA on Prime Minister Lawrence Adams, which detailed his basic personality traits and how the agency believed he would respond to this kind of attack on his country.

Before Sinclair could get a hundred words in to the briefing, his personal secretary said over his intercom, "Mister President, the Russian President's Office is on the phone. Should I put him through?"

Sinclair puffed on his pipe again, and then set it down in its holder, "Sure Marsha, go ahead."

The President's line in the Oval Office, as well as Marsha's line in the West Wing, with both secure. If the Russian line was not secure, Marsha would indicate that the Russians would need to call back from a secure line. If ithe line was secure, the call was forwarded to the Oval Office.

Sinclair picked up the phone when he saw line one blinking on his landline.

"President Nemstov... It must be an ungodly hour in Moscow. How are you doing?" he asked genuinely.

Jay

 

[Jay]

Nemstov's secretary, once it was confirmed the Americans were on the line patched through a private and encrypted line.

Nemstov lit a cigar for himself as he took a small puff and exhaled. Calming his mind for a few minutes as his secretary arranged the call. He placed his legs over the long oakwood table in his office as he turned off the television, a new run by ultranationalist pundits on the iron first needed to crush Chechen extremism .

The office line on his desk when orange, prompting Nemstov to take another puff of his cigar before placing it on the cigar rack while he picked up the phone.

"Please President Sinclair, Boris is just fine." He said as he looked out the window of his office. "Yes, it is indeed an ungodly hour, but this is the price of service." Boris said with a chuckle. "My daughter has been pestering me to take her back to Disney World, her trip to Florida really was life-changing haha." Boris laughed as he finished that statement.

"I am well, the situation in Russia is rather tense following the London attacks given our own challenges in Chechnya," Boris said rather honestly as he stared at the small, but energy-rich republic inside of Russia on the map of the federation in front of him.

"That is part of the reason why I am calling to be frank. I know the tragic attacks in London are overshadowing things, however I saw the unfortunate news of thes shootdown in America. I know it was not an easy decision." Boris said as he put his feet down and rubbed his temples.

"It looks like there is a very dark tunnel ahead for all of us. However, I am sure that in a world where Moscow and Washington are cooperating, we can do our part to help be a beacon of light. I know that you will have London's ear more than anyone else right now and I hope you will do your part to contain London's response, no matter how tragic the circumstances, I am worried that London will disproportionately react and that will have reverberating consequences." Boris said putting his feet back on the table.

"At the same time, I'd like Russia and America to cooperate on a way to tackle this problem, global terrorism and extremism is becoming a reoccurring challenge and I think the world could use our leadership on it."

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Secret​

"You and your family are always welcome to visit. I'm happy that your daughters had a good time at Disney World. Next time they want to go back let me know, not many people know this but there's actually a suite that you can stay in Cinderella's Castle. It's extremely difficult to get, but I think I could pull some strings," Sinclair said.

"I have enough blood on my hands from what I had to do in Korea back in the 50s," Sinclair said, referencing the Korean war which he was a Veteran of, and also it being the place where he earned the Medal of Honor. "I didn't want to add two kids to that list. I'm pretty sure one of them didn't want to go through with it, but the other was determined..." he said, and then stopped himself.

"Sorry, sometimes I can get carried away in conversations when it's late," Sinclair said, and then puffed his pipe again. "I understand the British to be outraged, and rightfully so. I haven't spoken with Prime Minister Adams yet, but I'm certain they're going to do something to respond. While there will be a response, and Prime Minister Adams and his government are upset, I don't think they're going to overreact. Ultimately, the United States will stand by Britain and assist them in any way possible. This kind of attack, on civilians for the sole purpose of murder and terror, is inexplicably intolerable."

"I agree that countering global terrorism could be an excellent way for our governments to work together. Did you have anything specific in mind?" he asked.

Jay