Chapter 56 – To War

[3rd POV]

The press conference room of the Apollonian Sunscraper was rarely used. Major news was announced during the annual Apollonian Cultural Convention. Other news was posted on YouTube and other social media.

So, it was a big deal that Apollo had called an official press conference. While many reporters wanted a comment after 9/11, all employees of Apollo Enterprises and Artemis Enterprises remained silent. And Apollo and Artemis were unreachable.

CNN, Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, everyone was here. Even foreign news stations like the BBC, Sky News, and Al Jazeera sent people.

At precisely 8:00pm (the time that the press conference was set at), Apollo showed up and was immediately bombarded with questions.

Many watching noticed he was alone, without Artemis, or his secretary, or any of the other people he was normally seen with. They also noticed that Apollo was dressed in a military uniform. Not the grey German military uniform that he had worn before, this one was white with golden lining.

A shiny golden aura radiated around him, making viewers unsure if it was the lighting, or if Apollo was secretly a god.

Apollo scanned the crowd, then made his way to the podium. Once there, he took a few moments of silence, waiting for the reporters to settle down.

"My fellow Americans, for the past decade, we have experienced an unparalleled level of greatness.

Culturally, we have reached a golden age. Apollo Enterprises has produced countless books, movies, and shows. But a lot of independent content has also been produced on YouTube, by individuals with nothing more than an iPhone, editing on a Macbook. This cultural revolution has resulted in the creation of content that would have never existed in any other point of history.

Technologically, we have reached the pinnacle of the human mind. I have fulfilled the promises of the industrial revolution, inventing self-driving cars, connecting people by simply tapping their phone, and providing cheap power for all to enjoy. We are currently working on artificial intelligence assistants, nanotechnology, and a cure for all sicknesses known to man.

Economically, there's nothing much to be said. America is over 60% of the world economy. The unemployment rate is practically nonexistent. I know I've personally done my part to help this.

Apollo Enterprises is the best company in the world. Starting from the basement of an orphanage, we have grown to be the largest company of all time. And our gains are visible.

Artemis Enterprises spends more improving infrastructure than federal, state, and local governments combined. Last year, we rebuilt over 200,000 dilapidated or destroyed houses. And every year, you all receive $1000, courtesy of yours truly.

America is rising. And we have so much more to do.

But there are many around the world who hate us. Simply put, they hate us because they ain't us.

They hate us because we are the most successful civilization in the history of the world. They wish to hurt us, simply due to their envy.

Their hatred was most evident on September 11. They attempted to attack the Pentagon because they hate American power. They attempted to attack Apollonia because they hate the greatest city on Earth. They attacked the New York Sunscraper because they hate American success. And they attacked the orphanage that I grew up in because they hate me and everything I represent.

If they had their way, our nation would fall, and we'd all burn in the fires of hell. This is what our enemies wish for us.

However, in the face of darkness, we find our strength within each other. My fellow Americans, I ask you to lend me your strength and keep me in your prayers. For by tomorrow morning, I will be in Afghanistan, attempting to bring our enemies to justice.

I have no choice. Last week, once we discovered the cretin behind the 9/11 attacks, Apollo Enterprises demanded that the Taliban immediately hand over the leader of al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden.

Unsurprisingly, they refused. And as one who leads from the front, I am officially declaring, that I will go to war with al Qaeda, the Taliban, and any other rogue state that gives them comfort or shelter."

Apollo paused, letting the tension build. "If this is the last, I will speak to y'all, then I thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."

.

All over the country, Americans were hypnotized by the speech. In a Boston University dorm, Sam, Matthew and Charles watched the speech on a YouTube livestream. Once over, Charles closed the computer.

"Wow," Sam said, "that's some pretty deep shit."

"Yeah," Matthew agreed. "Do you think he's actually going to go to Afghanistan?"

"He started the Berlin Revolution in '86," Sam noted, "so anything's possible."

There was a pause as the three of them contemplated the implications. Like most Americans, they hoped to get a job at Apollo Enterprises or Artemis Enterprises after graduating. Not to mention they were all fans of anime.

"So, what're you guys going to do?" Charles asked.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked back. "What're you going to do?"

Charles looked away before answering. "I'm going to enlist."

The other two looked at Charles. The thought had crossed their minds as well. Like all able-bodied young men, they felt a duty to serve and enact American retribution.

"My aunt worked at Apollo Enterprises," Charles explained.

"New York?" Matthew asked.

Charles nodded.

"Did she…"

Charles nodded again. "All my cousins are enlisting as well. I talked with the director, and he said the university will make sure I have a spot after my service," Charles smiled, "and I'll get veteran benefits, so I won't have to pay tuition."

There was another pause of silence.

"Ah fuck it," Matthew exclaimed. "I'll do it too."

"You sure?" Sam asked. "It's a huge commitment."

"Yeah well, my old man won't shut up about Vietnam," Matthew joked. "Maybe he'll finally stop telling the same old story."

Sam thought for a moment. "Uhh, fine. I'll do it too."

"Sam, you shouldn't enlist just because we're doing it," Charles said seriously.

"It's not that," Sam retorted, "Amy's enlisting. I was going to enlist anyways."

"Following a girl's not much better," Charles muttered.

Before Sam could respond, Matthew hooked his arms around both their necks and brought them close. "Look at us boys, about to head to Afghanistan. Don't worry about Amy Sam. We don't even know if we're going to Afghanistan. We might be shipped to Europe. And you know the ladies love a man in uniform."

In college dorms, family living rooms, and solemn phone calls, many Americans chose to enlist in the American military. Motivated by Apollo's speech, over three million Americans signed up.

This was not something Apollo intended. However, due to his popularity, many followed his example. While over a million were rejected, the American military still ended up growing by almost two million.

One unintended consequence was that there was a job shortage.

.

[Main POV]

"We're almost there," I heard Dankus say. I stood up, carefully took out my earpiece, and placed it on my chair.

"You don't have to do this," Olivia said for the millionth time. Charlotte nodded in agreement.

"I'm a god, I don't have to do anything," I responded. I pushed a button on the side of the hanger. The back of the quinjet opened up.

The sight before me was incredible. It was basically the apocalypse.

We were currently flying through Afghani airspace, and I saw missiles. Missiles falling like rain from the sky. Each one creating a monstrous explosion on impact.

Operation Deluge: the complete destruction of an area using missiles. Launched from satellites, submarines, cruisers, and aircraft. The might of Apollo Enterprises on full display for all to see.

Well not really. As part of the attack, all Apollo Enterprise electronics were disabled in Afghanistan and the surrounding countries (not that there were many to disable). Wi-Fi and cellular service were turned off.

Not that I cared if someone saw. I turned the internet off because records showed three people with Steam accounts in Afghanistan, and I wanted to make sure they suffered.

As I continued staring out into the horizon, I took a deep breath. The power I felt was incredible. Hundreds of millions of people praying for my well-being. Millions even praying directly to me. The power was intoxicating, unlike anything I had ever felt.

"Charlotte," I said, turning back. "have a quijet waiting for me in Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. I'll go there once I'm done. And Olivia, we'll be delaying the season 2 release of Attack on Titan, Love is War, and Avatar the Last Airbender."

Then, I jumped out of the plane.

"He didn't take his parachute," Charlotte noted.

"No," Olivia agreed, "No he didn't."