[ WP ] July First 2014 , Canada Day , when the clock struck midnight , every single Canadian vanished

In the public mind the presidency of Warren G. Harding is remembered for one thing, if at all; being lead by a President who died in office. However, there is a very select group of people who remember him for something entirely different. You see, ever since the Harding administration there has been one thing on which every President has agreed, regardless of political affiliation, temperment, marital status, age, or reputation. Each President learns to hate The Alarm. 
 
 Technically it's called the Presidential Suite Emergency Alert System. Installed under Harding's direction, it is triggered when something happens during the night that requires the President's attention. The idea was fantastic, but never fully fleshed out. There is no filter for importance. When the President is woken, he must be prepared for everything from foreign coups to a zombie apocalypse. 
 
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 Barack Obama was jolted out of his dreams by a harsh, off-key tone. Earlier in his presidency he wasted time wondering why the leader of the free world could n't get a solid night of sleep. Now he simply began running scenarios in his head as he was hustled down to the bunker underneath the White House. As soon as he entered the room John Brennan, director of the CIA, was at his side. 
 `` Mr. President, we've recieved information which indicates that... well... that the entirety of Canada's population has disappeared.'' 
 `` Mr. Brennan, I, uh, I understand that we need to run training scenarios, but typically the simulated situation is believable.'' 
 `` This is n't a training scenario, Mr. President. Everyone that was in Canada is not anymore. As far as we can tell, they all vanished at around 12:00 midnight.'' 
 `` What do you mean,'vanished'?'' 
 `` Exactly that, Mr. President. We have recordings. Look.'' 
 *Video shows Canadian television coverage of Canada Day festivities at a park. Seconds into the clip every person disappears. The trees move in a sudden gust of wind* 
 ``... and we're sure this video has n't been tampered with.'' 
 `` Yes sir. We have attempted to contact the Prime Minister, but the capitol is n't responding. Neither are any of our Canadian contacts. We have nothing.'' 
 `` Well then, get me something! What about the NSA? ^I ^know ^we ^have ^assets ^in ^Canada. ^Somebody ^call ^the...'' 
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 Prime Minister Stephen Harper leaned back in his chair with an amused chuckle as he watched a prominent newscaster stumble through the breaking news segment. No one knew what to do. Economics and politics, science and math... everything was thrown into turmoil. There were arguments about the supernatural, discussion of the end of the world. It was n't the end of the world, but no one could be sure of that. The truth of the matter would n't be discovered, at least not for years to come. 
 
 For years, while the world was busy with war and infighting, with foreign affairs and major scandals, Canada had secretly poured money into research. Scientific, economic, philisophical... every kind of thought was explored. Canadian think tanks realized that the best place to go to ensure a happy and secure future for Canada was up. Why waste time, money, and lives on foreign affairs when you can just leave? So they left, but not without making a statement. On Canada Day, a day that no one outside of Canada knew about or celebrated, every Canadian was transported up to the HMCS New Canada, the first starship in existence. They would leave Earth and make a new colony on Mars. After all, the only power on a planet is automatically a superpower. 
 
 With a long sigh, Prime Minister Harper stood and streched in a reflective kind of way. He could n't wait to see the looks on the faces of the world when they got to Mars only to find it already inhabited. It would be wonderful. No one ever expects the Canadians.
