12-03-2029 DARPA Grand Challenge: San Francisco, California
I. The Shadow of Cheyenne Mountain This evening, San Francisco, like all of California, was experiencing an unbearable heat wave, but it wasn't just the weather. The world was living in a state of extreme tension: a Chinese strike group led by the aircraft carrier Guangdong had been patrolling the outskirts of Taiwan for two months. The American administration was frantically seeking leverage against China, constantly adding fuel to the fire of ideological confrontation. In such an atmosphere, any spark could become a detonator. Deep underground, inside Cheyenne Mountain, the night watch of NORAD — North American Aerospace Defense Command — was taking over. In Omaha, at the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), duty officers took their places in front of the 724M system monitors. It was a complex network that integrated data from satellites, radars, and tracking stations into a single picture of the continent's security. Until tonight, the system was considered relia...
