Almost every television station in the United States reported on the mountain fires caused by a rain of fire falling from the sky in Southern California, but that was merely the official explanation. The U.S. military investigation teams that ventured deep into the fire zone had gathered sufficient evidence to prove that this had been an attack. Since the campaign's objective had been to completely erase all traces the Skrulls had left on Earth, the City of Immortals had deployed a large number of destructive weapons. However, the tracks left on the ground by the siege artillery and transport ships had not yet been consumed by the wildfire. Combined with seismic wave monitoring, radiation readings, and the surprise attack on a nearby air base before the fires began, the investigation teams that had secretly entered the fire zone were already able to determine that this was not an extraterrestrial attack.
Although they could not yet determine which faction was behind the attack or what its true purpose was, the military already had an excuse to ask Congress for funding, while the Military-Industrial Complex was eagerly preparing to take military orders and make a fortune. Who the enemy truly was did not matter. Aside from genuine patriots in the FBI and other Intelligence Departments, not many people cared. Members of Congress could point the finger at countries that refused to cooperate with their financial backers, the military could use it as an excuse to increase overseas troop deployments, and the Military-Industrial Complex could seize the opportunity to sell unsellable weapons at inflated prices through "aid." Even the president could find a target to attack in order to win votes.
Salomon had anticipated all of this long ago. The contingency he had arranged began to take effect at this moment.
The artificial