The chatter hushed as a tall and very attractive Asian woman walked to the center of the classroom’s lowered stage. She wore black slacks and a sleeveless silk shirt. She looked out at the members of the classroom and they looked back at her, silenced.

She said, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Red Cell. There are two reasons that you are here. First, to piece together our collective knowledge so we better understand what we now know to be true about a future Chinese attack on the United States.”

The statement drew a mix of shock and disbelief. A few shouted questions but the woman held out her hands for silence.

She continued, “I know this is hard to believe for most of you. But I assure you it is real. I ask that you hold all of your questions until the end. I believe I will cover a lot of them right now, and we will be providing a lot of amplifying details into the night. But I say again, we have reason to believe that China is planning to attack the United States in some type of large-scale military operation within the next 12 to 18 months.”

Shouts erupted from the room and, again, the woman held out her palms until people quieted down. David found her calm and confidence remarkable. “We’ll answer all questions in due time. The second reason you are all here is to actually develop plans for China to attack the United States. I know this sounds ludicrous at first, but hear me out. That is the main objective of a Red Cell. Because we don’t know exactly what the enemy will do, we want to be prepared for what they could do. Over the next three weeks, you will have no communication with the outside world. You will work from early in the morning until late at night. And it will be crucially important work.”

She walked off the stage as she spoke. She stepped up the tiered levels of the classroom, careful to make eye contact with everyone in the room.

“We want you to collaborate and innovate. Do what you do best—find solutions to challenging problems. Each of you has been chosen because you are one of the top minds in your field. This was a highly selective program. You each have been handpicked for a certain relevant skill set. You should be proud of the service that you will perform for your country, although it will not be something that you can ever put on a resume.”

David watched as she marched back down the stairs and stood on the lower stage. She had perfect posture, tanned skin, and great muscle tone. She was very tall. He figured she must be five foot eleven. And she spoke with a captivating charisma that made it hard to take his eyes off her.

“Many of you have top secret clearances with our government or the military prior to arriving. Those of you that did not have been rushed an interim clearance. Normally that can take a year or more. But this was an exceptional case...and we’ve done our homework. Everyone has been quickly and fully vetted. When I’m done here, you will all file in to the next room to sign some admin papers, including a non-disclosure agreement. Nothing that goes on here will ever be made public. These sessions are classified at the highest level.”