Oops! A Modern Fable

The strobe lights flashed and the sirens wailed. Dumbfounded, General Terrance searched the room frantically for the intruder or culprit in the room that may have triggered the alarm.

But, to his horror, he began to realize that this wasn’t a typical alarm. This was part of a launch sequence.

The fear swirled in his head. He needed his coffee to quell his nerves and clear his thoughts. Either World War III had started or was about to begin.

“My god men,” he thundered to his crew. “What is going on?”

The men under his command were just as confused. All the protocols that were supposed to be followed had been thrown out of the door. The realization was there: the missile had been armed and ready to be fired. The countdown was beginning.

The ICBM missile deployment system had been entrusted to a new computer system. One that would operate at a moment’s notice if it sensed an enemy had launched one of their world destroyers.

“I don’t see any country launching!” Somebody yelled. The general barked out more orders. Leadership was critical at this moment. But, the general’s only asset was his bolstering voice. And one thing was certain: He wanted to know how this system was failing.

“Get my coffee!” he also roared at any subordinate within his earshot.

But, then something caught his attention. Near the computer that controlled the launching system was General Terrance’s mug of hot coffee. It was on its side and its content leaked onto the computer. Sparks flew and wires sizzled.

“My coffee,” he murmured when he realized that it was the source of this emergency. “Oops.”

Before he could react, however, the ICBM came to life and shot out of the silo.