Chapter 316: A Controversial Alliance Part 1

News broke across the world in the early hours of the following day as Leviathan Inc. and the government of Markovia released a joint statement. 

The statement announced that Arias Markovich would be returning to the United States and resuming his position as CEO of Leviathan, with current CEO Mercy Graves poised to step down. As if that news alone wasn't controversial enough, the statement also claimed that Arias, or rather Leviathan Inc., would be working with the Justice League to address what was only labeled as a global threat. It also mentioned that the US government would join in as well.

Putting aside the controversy of the statement itself, it was an incredibly bold move by both Leviathan and Markovia. Currently, the entire world, including most officials within the US government, believed that Markovia was responsible for the deaths of their sons and daughters, or those of their colleagues. The US was in a state of mourning, and yet this piece of news broke, causing many to see it as blatant disrespect from both Markovia and Leviathan Inc.

The biggest outrage toward the statement was felt by the government officials themselves. Countless emails flooded the office of the President, and those of a higher rank attempted to call him and/or his secretary directly. The President was currently at an undisclosed location, as the White House was deemed too dangerous following Arias's attacks on various government institutions. In this undisclosed location, the President and his close cabinet were already in a meeting concerning an approach to the current matter at hand.

Under normal circumstances, a nation of the United States' caliber, once attacked by an enemy, would resort to war. This situation more than qualified for that. If their enemy was a nation of great power as well, nuclear war would be on the table. Right now, the President and his cabinet were engaged in a crucial debate over the matter. The problem with this debate, however, was that aside from the President and Vice President, everyone in the room had lost one or two people in the explosion on the island—some sons, some daughters, some nieces and nephews. Their view on the matter was clear.

"Mr. President, if we allow this to pass, the people will lose all confidence in your leadership. The generals and admirals are all waiting for your command. It was already hard trying to make them accept peace before, but now with the deaths of the children, a good portion of the military wants this war to happen regardless of the dangers involved," the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff advised, looking incredibly helpless.

Shortly after he spoke, the Secretary of Defense also gave her opinion on the matter. "Mr. President, before the path to war was blocked off by Congress and the Senate as they didn't agree with the various generals and admirals pushing for it after countless soldiers and military personnel lost their lives in the initial attacks. Following this incident, the Senate, Congress, and the military are all on the same page. They want war, or at the very least some form of punishment for Markovia. Allowing Arias Markovich back into the country as a free man will prove to be incredibly disastrous for not only your image, Mr. President, but that of the entire country. We will look incredibly weak to the other global powers," the Secretary of State added, showing a stern face as he shook his head, feeling helpless on the matter.

At this time, the Secretary of Homeland Security also spoke up. "We also have to consider the implications of him being in the country. Won't Arias Markovichbe working in the interest of Markovia while he is in America."

Surprisingly, the Attorney General was against these options. "At the end of the day, there is no evidence to support that he played any direct role in the actions of Markovia. He is a US citizen; he technically has the right to return without being arrested unless we can provide irrefutable evidence that he is involved one way or another. You could choose to overrule this legal protocol due to the state of emergency. However, how do you think that will be received by the people? Though many are saying he is just as guilty as Markovia, while others are saying he is the sole reason behind this, without evidence, we cannot act rashly. What do you think will happen if, let's say, you do arrest him and perhaps charge him for treason? This may work in the short term, but what happens if a true global threat does exist? How would we tackle it at that time? It mayjust an excuse for Arias Markovich to return to the country, but it's a possibility to consider. Because if we get this wrong, it could mean the loss of many more innocent lives."

The Attorney General was a very smart man and unlike most of the other members of the cabinet who were currently driven by a certain emotional aspect, he was almost 100% driven by logic and circumstances. Even before the incident of the children, he had spent numerous grueling days studying up on each and every circumstance Arias had been involved in, trying to see not only what crimes he had committed but also how he operated. In his opinion, Arias was incredibly good at misdirection. He had a knack for leading people on without them even knowing, while ensuring he would suffer as little legal repercussions as possible. Because of that, the Attorney General wanted to be extremely cautious with how they handled the matter.

Upon listening to him, President Ross gave a slight nod. "You all presented good points on the matter, but I'll have to agree with the Attorney General for now. Like it or not, Arias Markovich is a citizen of the country, and without evidence, we cannot hold him. Even with evidence, can we really afford to hold him? Not at least until the peace summit is held and we know where we stand. Like you, ladies and gentlemen, I do not believe he is an innocent man, but without proof, our hands are tied regardless of how we feel on the matter. So instead of debating on whether we should arrest him or not, I want to know how his being in the country can be a good thing and how best we, as the government, should address it."