State of Terror

As Ellen Adams races to prevent a terrorist attack, she is forced to ask herself how far she will go and what she will sacrifice to stop the bombs. Ellen asks herself how much she will sacrifice to save the day as she is consistently faced with new and increasingly horrifying challenges. An initial wave of security failings mean that a terrorist arms dealer is released from prison and three buses filled with civilians are destroyed in bomb attacks. From there, Ellen must prevent further nuclear attacks designed to bring social collapse to the United States and usher in a new era of extreme right wing authoritarianism. The stakes continue to increase, so more is asked of Ellen. She must place her life, her friends’ and families’ lives, and the lives of strangers on the line to stop the collapse of American democracy.

With these stakes established, Ellen accepts the fact that she must make sacrifices in the name of security. She places herself in a public firing line, knowing that the newly appointed President is likely orchestrating her downfall. Ellen accepts challenges when she knows the risks, whether she is accepting the president’s offer to be a part of his cabinet or deliberately flying to Russia for a face-to-face showdown with its president. In each situation, Ellen is willing to expose herself to danger and negative consequences. She is willing to sacrifice her relationship with her estranged son Gil, she is willing to take Anahita into Iran, and she is willing to leave her daughter and Chief of Staff behind in Iran because she believes that doing so will help prevent a future loss of life. Ellen demonstrates that she is aware of the greater cost of security, and she is willing to make personal sacrifices to achieve this security.

When Whitehead is taken into custody and accused of being a traitor, the president suggests that they torture Whitehead to extract information. Ellen draws a line and disagrees with the president. While the president is compromising his ethical stance against torture due to the pressing need of the moment, Ellen does not abandon the code which defines her. However, she does not frame her argument in ethical terms. Ellen reasons with the president, telling him that torture is an unwise decision due to practical results rather than moral consequences. Ellen has already shown that she is willing to allow harm to come to others to prevent a terrorist attack. For her, torture is a practical rather than an ethical issue. If torture worked, then Ellen may reconsider her stance. In other matters, she is more than willing to break the law. She recommends invasions of sovereign nations, illegal kidnapping, and frequent burglary to help prevent the terrorist attack. Ellen’s decisions are cold and calculated but always produce results. The cost of security is not just a theme in the novel, but the question which defines Ellen as a character.