[ WP ] A sudden nuclear holocaust happens without any warning

*Blip. * 
 
 *Blip. * 
 
 I watched the little red dot flash on and off the screen, listening intently for voice traffic to come through. There were supposed to be a few training flights today, that pilot should be requesting permission to land at any moment. 
 
 The red dot came closer. The airwaves remained silent. 
 
 `` Sector 2, Unidentified Aircraft -- request for identification.'' 
 
 Static was the only reply. 
 
 I felt something in my stomach clench. *Maybe one of the green pilots lost their communication. It's happened before, * I thought to myself. I tried again, a tone of urgency entering my voice: `` Sector 2, Unidentified Aircraft -- request for identification.'' 
 
 Again, nothing. 
 
 I called back over my shoulder. `` Hey, Commander? Could I have you come --'' 
 
 Suddenly, there were flashing red lights everywhere, a loud siren buzzing in my skull. For just a moment, you could feel everyone go rigid. I snapped back to the radar screen; the little red dot was moving much faster. 
 
 *My God. It's an attack plane. * As if to confirm my thoughts, a voice a few seats over called out, `` We've got a MIG. It looks like it's approaching for a bombing run.'' 
 
 Another voice called out. `` But why would there only be one?'' 
 
 I felt my heart sink to the floor. `` It's a nuke,'' I heard myself say. The commander cursed under his breath. 
 
 `` I want Mr. President on the phone right now!'' he yelled, his gruff voice moving us into frenzied efficiency. `` Tell him that we are under nuclear attack, and we expect to provide full retaliation. If those goddamn Russians think we have n't got the balls to fight back, they've got another thing coming.'' He stormed over to the video feed, his eyes intensely trained on the plane's image. `` Is there any way to intercept it?'' he questioned. 
 
 `` Not at this point, sir,'' was the reply. `` If we fire at them now, we risk detonating the warhead and suffering the fallout.'' 
 
 Suddenly, a little black speck fell from the plane, and the entire room went silent. It's funny, the things you think about in your final moments. *How could something so small be so destructive? * I thought. 
 
 Commander was the first to break the silence. `` Shit.'' I never thought it was possible for the commander to look defeated, yet here he was in front of me, head hanging low. `` Well men, you better start praying to whatever god you believe in, because in about one minute and thirty seconds, you're going to meet him.'' 
 
 The entire control center was breathless for those one and half minutes. The bomb detonated, and I felt the extreme burning sensation consume my flesh. My only solace was that, hopefully, halfway around the world, we'd done the same thing to the people who did this to us. Of course, that thought was fleeting, and I felt the atoms in my body rend and combust, the world suddenly black and cold as it ceased to exist.
