WWIII3 Cyber Nuclear Holocaust is an original John Storm political espionage thriller. This plot offers a thrilling adventure for John Storm, with high stakes, international intrigue, and a race against time.

  CHAPTER 13: CHESS GRAND MASTER - JOHN STORM, HAL AND CYBERCORE GENETICA DECODE TABLET AND OTHER MESSAGES IDENTIFYING OPERATION GRAND SLAM - WITH HELP FROM NADIA PETROVA (KGB) AND KATYA VOLKOV

<<< SCENE 12

INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - BRIDGE - NIGHT

The air is thick with tension. Screens glow with frantic data. JOHN STORM (40s), his face tight, watches helplessly. DAN (20s), a boy-genius mesmerized, is glued to the main display.

JOHN
Hal, it's getting worse. NORAD's mainframe is heating up, China is buckling, Russia is just managing. How are you coping, Hal?

HAL (O.S.)
Not as sweet as the CyberCore. Cool as a cucumber.

DAN
(Eyes fixed on the screen)
CyberCore Genetica and Hal’s AI are defending against a relentless onslaught of worms and viruses that would have crippled the CRINK systems hours ago.

JOHN
They are after the missile codes for each nation. Right?

DAN
That's the deal. It's all to play for. If we lose, the world is toast.

JOHN
No pressure then!

INT. CYBERSPACE - VISUAL REPRESENTATION - CONTINUOUS

A digital battlefield. Neon-lit corridors hum.

CYBERCORE GENETICA, a sleek, pulsing nano-computer, stands ready. Its circuits thrum with electric life.

Across the binary expanse, HAL AI, one of the most compact portable mainframes, looms like a digital titan.

Targets flash: CHINA, RUSSIA, USA. The goal: missile silos, submarines.

VISUAL REPRESENTATION - RUSSIAN HQ (TIMONOVO) - CONTINUOUS

A fragile network of radar stations. Data flowing to a control center near Moscow. Oko and EKS satellites. The Don-2N missile defense radar. EXTREMELY VULNERABLE.

VISUAL REPRESENTATION - CHINESE SSF (BASE 37) - CONTINUOUS

Tracking stations across provinces. HQ in Beijing. Even less prepared than their Russian counterparts.

THE ASSAULT - CONTINUOUS

A WRITHING MASS OF CODE—the WORM SWARM—slithers through vulnerable ports. Each worm replicates, multiplying like a digital plague.

TARGETS flash: AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST, EURASIA, AMERICAS.

The worms infiltrate peripheral devices: smartphones, routers, even smart toasters.

THE DEFENSE - CONTINUOUS

CyberCore Genetica deploys NANO-FIREWALLS, weaving intricate patterns of encryption. Its AI algorithms analyze worm behavior, predicting their next moves.

Hal’s AI launches COUNTER-WORMS—microscopic hunters. Hal’s brute force algorithms fight fire with fire.

THE VIRAL ONSLAUGHT - CONTINUOUS

Viruses materialize as shadowy specters, corrupting data, rewriting code. Learning, evolving.

Infected files—kitten memes, financial reports, love letters—flood the network. Innocence masks their venom.

THE COUNTER - CONTINUOUS

CyberCore Genetica quarantines infected files, dissecting their binary DNA. Its AI scans for anomalies, surgically removing viral segments.

The RED DRAGON, GOLDEN CAGE, and MIDNIGHT SUN icons on the display flicker, frustrated. Their efforts grow frantic. This shouldn't be happening.

Hal’s AI unleashes DIGITAL ANTIBODIES—swift, merciless routines. Hal’s mainframe pulses with determination, super-enhanced by the nano speed of CyberCore Genetica.

THE SHOWDOWN - CONTINUOUS

CyberCore Genetica dances between bits, anticipating attacks milliseconds before they strike. Hal AI is a juggernaut, its processing power, combined, rivaling a thousand suns.

NORAD is powerless, caught in a lightning-fast crossfire. They experienced this once before—John Storm and the Elizabeth Swann, when the CIA tried to neutralize him.

CyberCore Genetica detects a ZERO-DAY EXPLOIT—a flaw even the attacking military mainframes missed. Its AI devises a counterattack. Hal AI adapts, recalibrating. The digital battlefield trembles.

CyberCore Genetica sacrifices a subroutine, diverting its essence to create a digital firewall in the USA, RUSSIA, and CHINA. A last line of defense. The Red Dragon triad hackers absorb the subroutine, their core glowing brighter.

THE FINAL STAND - CONTINUOUS

A colossal WORM QUEEN, ancient and cunning, emerges. Its binary scales shimmer with malice. It devours the triad firewalls, bypassing encryption. Their data lies exposed. The triad systems SHUT DOWN as a last resort.

CyberCore Genetica fuses with Hal’s AI. Their neural networks intertwine. Together, they encrypt the Queen’s code, trapping her.

Hal AI sacrifices its core—a supernova of logic. The Triads SCREAM, disintegrating into null bytes.

INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - GALLEY - CONTINUOUS

The air is thick with a different kind of tension now – the palpable, shared anxiety of the world’s most powerful leaders. XI JINPING, VLADIMIR PUTIN, NARENDRA MODI, and DONALD TRUMP are crammed around the galley table, eyes glued to a large monitor displaying the real-time battle for digital dominance. They watch with a mix of disbelief and growing horror as their supposed impenetrable systems flash red, buckle, and collapse under Red Dragon’s relentless assault.

DONALD TRUMP
(Muttering)
Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. My firewalls… the best…

VLADIMIR PUTIN
(In Russian, translated by HAL's overlay)
Our early warning systems… they are down. Completely.

INT. VARIOUS MILITARY BUNKERS - CONTINUOUS (MONTAGE)

Across the globe, in deep underground bunkers, the highest echelons of the military watch the same horrifying play-by-play. Faces are contorted in disbelief, sweat pouring. Grown men and women are visibly soiled, their uniforms clinging to trembling bodies. The atmosphere is one of abject terror, as the digital countdown to thermonuclear annihilation ticks closer.

- NORAD COMMAND CENTER: Generals stare at screens, their faces ashen. A massive, blinking "LAUNCH IMMINENT" warning fills the primary display.

- RUSSIAN STRATEGIC MISSILE FORCES HQ: Officers scream into comms, but the lines are dead. Panic gives way to a stunned, helpless silence as control is lost.

- CHINESE PLASSF HQ: The air is thick with dread. Red alarms flash, indicating compromise across their missile networks.

INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - GALLEY - CONTINUOUS

Back on the Swann, the leaders lean in, their breathing shallow. The monitors show their national defense systems on the brink, seconds from activating a catastrophic launch. A chilling, impossible scenario.

NARENDRA MODI
(Whispering)
It’s over.

Just as the final defeat seems inevitable, a flicker on the main screen. The Red Dragon’s relentless digital claws, poised to strike, suddenly… falter.

Then, a surge.

A vibrant, almost ethereal BLUE GLOW erupts from the deepest layers of the digital battlefield. It's CYBERCORE GENETICA, depicted as a lightning-fast nano-machine, weaving through the chaos. And beside it, HAL AI, a towering digital titan, returning fire with unimaginable force.

The leaders gasp, leaning even closer, their eyes wide.

DONALD TRUMP
What in the…

The digital battle turns. Red Dragon’s aggressive lines of code are met with a defense, then a counter-attack, moving with a speed that defies comprehension. The screen shows the tide turning, systems that were minutes ago collapsing, now pushing back.

XI JINPING
(In Mandarin, translated)
They are… they are winning.

In the bunker footage, the terrified faces begin to show flickers of confusion, then… a dawning, fragile hope. The "LAUNCH IMMINENT" warnings on their screens begin to recede, replaced by defensive protocols.

INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - GALLEY - CONTINUOUS

The Red Dragon’s digital onslaught, a relentless storm of worms and viruses, is now met with an unyielding counter-barrage. Hal and CyberCore Genetica are not just defending; they are dismantling.

VLADIMIR PUTIN
(A shaky laugh)
Impossible. This is… impossible.

The digital representation of Red Dragon’s triad hackers—once menacing, dominant—begin to fragment, their lines of code dissolving into null bytes. The icons representing their control over nuclear systems blink, then turn GREEN.

A collective, shuddering breath escapes the leaders. The adrenaline from moments ago still courses through them, but now mixed with a profound, almost sacred, relief.

DONALD TRUMP
(Voice raspy)
We… we did it.

John Storm watches the screen, a quiet intensity in his eyes. He is drained, utterly exhausted, yet a faint, almost imperceptible smile touches his lips. Dan, slumped in his chair, lets out a long, slow exhale, as if he’s been holding his breath for an eternity. The tension drains from the galley, replaced by a stunned, fragile silence.

The impossible has happened. A tiny, watch-sized nano-computer and the onboard AI of the Elizabeth Swann have pulled them back from the brink of oblivion.

The screen settles, showing the global nuclear systems restored to their proper, secure status. The Red Dragon's network has dissolved.

The world’s leaders, humbled and breathless, stare at the monitor. The battle, the most terrifying hacking battle of all battles, is over.

INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS

John and Dan are breathless, drained from watching the battle royal. Helpless, like fathers during a difficult birth. Even less tangible, if that’s possible.

On the main screen, the digital dust settles. CYBERCORE GENETICA and HAL AI stand side by side, their fusion marking a new era.

The world takes a collective sigh of relief.

JOHN
Solar Cola anyone?

FADE TO BLACK

SCENE 14 > >>

DRAFT SCREENPLAY V1.0 (90-110 pages) - ORDER MAY BE VARIED

PART 1.

SCENE 1.    - ISTANBUL, TURKEY, THE BOSPHORUS STRAIT, BYZANTIUM TABLETS, SUNKEN REMAINS NEAR CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKISH MUSEUM: John Storm, on a routine artifact dive in the Bosphorus, Istanbul, stumbles upon a coded message hidden within a smuggled Sumerian tablet captured by Blue Shield. The message reveals a chilling covert alliance (Triad) - Russia, Iran, and North Korea - codenamed "Red Dragon" - are planning a coordinated attack. Their goal: global domination.

SCENE 2.    - KIDNAP CHAOS - 'RED DRAGON' - THE CONTROLLING CELL FOR 'OPERATION GRAND SLAM,' WITH 'GOLDEN CAGE,' & 'MIDNIGHT SUN': Phase One: The Kidnapping Chaos. 'Red Dragon,' using advanced sleeper cells and cyberwarfare, orchestrates the abduction of key political figures from the West - the US President, the British Prime Minister - Keir Starmer, the French President - Emmanuel Macron, and the German Chancellor - Olaf Scholz. Cutting off the heads of the corrupt capitalist Dragon.

SCENE 3.    - JILL BIRD, BBC ANCHOR - NEWS REPORT, KIDNAP CHAOS - DEMANDS - MARKETS IN TURMOIL: World military are thrown into disarray, communication channels are jammed, and financial markets plummet - It's a Fire Sale. 'Red Dragon' broadcasts a chilling message, threatening to kill the kidnap victims, if their demands are not met. The demands (vast resource concessions) being a feint.

SCENE 4.    - THE MASTERMIND - The plan is orchestrated by a shadowy figure deep within the Iranian government, General Reza Shah. Shah believes the West is on the verge of collapse and seeks to exploit their weakness for global domination. He's been secretly stockpiling gold and weapons for years, along with building a network of fallout shelters for the Triad underground elite, about which the West appear oblivious.

SCENE 5.   -  OPERATION GRAND SLAM - Intrigued, Storm deciphers the message with the help of a former Russian intelligence agent turned informant, Katya Volkov. With international order on the brink, Hal, recognizing the coded language from the tablet, deciphers the Triad's plan. John inadvertently teams up with a brilliant but jaded ex-KGB agent, Nadia Petrova, who knows the inner workings of the Triad from eavesdropping years before. Nadia sends anonymous regular messages to John. John and Katya discover they reference a sinister plot: "Operation Grand Slam" - The Motive to create global chaos as a prelude to an all out nuclear attack.

"Red Dragon" - North Korea, coordinating joint operations, targeting Iran and North Korea leaders in Operation Grand Slam. "Midnight Sun" - A cell to abduct key USA and European leaders, western politicians for kidnapping - and - Golden Cage: Refers to a joint operation by Russia (Red Dragon) and North Korea (Midnight Sun) targeting key Western politicians for coordinated kidnappings and transits.

SCENE 6.    - JOHN RACES TO NAPLES, JUST TOO LATE TO STOP KIDNAPPINGS -  John and Katya race against time to prevent a series of high-profile kidnappings, seemingly chasing tails as though Red Dragon has intel - the US President on route to G7 summit Naples - Joe Biden was already missing, so too the British Prime Minister. The French President, and the German Chancellor were thought to be next. Red Dragon triggers kidnap commands timed to opportunistic venues. Of which G7 is ideal for remaining Europeans. Leaving Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un and Ali Khamenei.

SCENE 7.    - OUT OF TIME: They travel to Tripoli, ending in Bierut, where the trail leading to Ali Khamenei, Jinping and Jong Un deciphering clues inadvertently left behind by the kidnappers. Each location tests John's deciphering skills and Katya's knowledge of international espionage. But even with Hal they are too late - the trail disappears. The Cells capture their hostages just minutes before John gets to the sites.

PART 2.

SCENE 8.    - A MOLE: One of the kidnapped leaders is suspected as being a double agent working for Shah. This throws John and Katya off track, forcing them to question the allegiances of the hostages. Hal fails to identify any incriminating communications.

SCENE 9.    - PRISONERS: The chase leads to a secret underground facility in Iran, where the politicians are being held captive. It is seemingly impregnable reinforced concrete, much like a super bank vault, near Char Bahar, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea. It is impregnable, without harming the hostages. This is the Golden Cage, the European cell was named after.

SCENE 10.  - CHAR BAHAR: John and Katya must infiltrate the heavily guarded complex and free the hostages before a nuclear strike is launched on major Western cities. Hal calculates that a nuclear launch is imminent, where brute force hacking at NORAD and other military bases is detected. The clock is ticking, and John now realizes that the kidnappings are diversionary tactics. But still he pushes on.

SCENE 11.  - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Having taken out the perimeter guards, John and Katya finally succeed in gaining access to the prisoners the old fashioned way with thermal lances - a seemingly impossible mission - freeing the hostages - and transferring the bewildered heads of state to the Swann by RIB. Then the Swann vanishes into the Arabian Sea for a rendezvous with an ageing USS Vermont, Virginia class nuclear submarine. During transit, the freed captives talk through John freely, Hal interpreting telepathically. The freed prisoners cannot believe he understands so many languages. And his grasp on politics.

SCENE 12.  - BBC WORLD NEWS: Jill Bird item exposes Shah's plan to the world, discovering and revealing his identity as leader of Red Dragon, a Cell operating somewhere in the Middle East, and turning the tide against him. Revealed by Katya Volkov to John as she admits to having had an affair with the handsome Iranian General many years previously and was cast aside, left for dead. Adding pressure to an already knife edge plan for the Triads.

SCENE 13.  - CYBER CHESS GRAND MASTER: A high-stakes battle ensues involving advanced weaponry and cunning strategy. With launch and abort codes changing by the minute as US, Chinese, and Russian military are running at full pelt to stand still - helpless against cyber attacks. It's Military main frames from three locations versus Hal and John Storm, as the fastest computer CyberCore Genetica™ fends off brute force worms and viruses. It's a standoff without a final solution. Hal and CyberCore Genetica effectively block and counter, but need to locate the Cells that are hosting the attacks.

SCENE 14.  - BASE 37 NUCLEAR STRIKE: In cyber defeat and frustrated, Red Dragon attempts to strike fear into their targets with three small devices in Beijing, Moscow and Washington. Two devices are detected and defused. The third detonates at Base 37. This is a last-ditch effort by Shah's loyalists, saying to the world they are not safe, thumbing their noses at the CIA, FSB, MI6, Interpol and other agencies. Meantime, stockpiles of missiles by the superpowers remain a tempting target for other extremists that must be eliminated, with the assistance of John's new 'world-leader' friends.

PART 3.

SCENE 15.  - PLAYING WITH FIRE: Hal, John and Katya, disable the launch sequence for the Russian missiles. But cannot trace the source code, meaning transmissions could all begin again. Iranian and Chinese missiles are still a danger. The situation could rebound against Red Dragon; if only communist missiles are deactivated. While US and European missiles could still destroy the antagonists countries. Their plan could backfire. All hard lines are cut to Russian, Chinese and Iranian missiles, then manually shut down. Submarine missiles are systematically deactivated. Finally, US hard lines are cut, and submarine missile systems manually turned off. The world breathes a sigh of relief, Jill Bird reporting.

SCENE 16.  - TREBLE AGENT: One of the kidnapped leaders is identified as secretly sympathetic to Shah's cause. His identity becomes known during debriefing, when John (with Hal present telepathically) connects the dots, and he is turned around as a treble agent, used to penetrate further into the Red Dragon Cell, and close that and hunt down, then arrest of General Reza Shah.

SCENE 17.  - BLOODHOUNDS: John and Katya work together to track down Shah's remaining Cells, devout followers who fight to the death. John prevails to prevent further chaos. Within and from these Cells, they obtain valuable intelligence, much needed passwords and the like, to disable Golden Cage and Midnight Sun's Chinese and Iranian nukes.

SCENE 18.  - ATOMIC GOOD SAMARITAN: Using their new information, they take back control of the launch codes for the Iranian and Chinese missiles. The temporary administrations in China, Iran and North Korea plead with John Storm for his help. Not that he wasn't working double time to save them, but with Hal's help and using the CyberCore Genetica, they finally defuse the situation. Control of their missiles is restored. Then neutralized. All hail to John Storm.

SCENE 19.  - KNIGHTS OF THE GARTER: The root cause of Red Dragon is revealed as discontent brewing from 2014, when Tony Blair deceived Parliament with false intelligence, so initiating the invasion of Iraq by way of a coalition with US President George Walker Bush. The Brits knighting their own for such corruption, and intelligence abuses was the last straw. As the seeds of hate were revealed, another Petition succeeds in Blair's KG honour being reviewed with Keir Starmer making sincere public apology to Iraq. With a promise that the British honours system will be examined, such as not to ignite future Red Dragons.

SCENE 20.  - CRIME OF PASSION: Katya Volkov has a hidden agenda of her own - revenge over a jilted romance, being used and left for dead. She takes out Reza Shah, a personal and simmering crime of passion - after he goads her, saying how she was used to obtain information taunting her about Nadia Petrova - before John can stop her the General is dead. Honour satisfied, she collapses from shock, the experience strengthens their partnership, hinting at future adventures; maybe. John making a mental note not to dally with her emotions thus. A final message is delivered anonymously: Job done!

SCENE 21.  - NATIONS REUNITED: The world grapples with the fallout of the attack, both literal and geopolitical. A broadcast transmitted all across the globe, from all the kidnap victims speaking as one voice, assures the world that they will now multiply their efforts to work together to resolve their differences. The first step being to dismantle their nuclear stockpiles, and agree never to replenish such weapons of mass destruction. One warning like this being seen as enough. John receives several honours. Including the 'Hero of the Russian Federation' (replacing the Order of Lenin), People's Republic of China Friendship Medal, Purple Heart (for being injured while a temporary US Navy SEAL) and after some debate, the Victoria Cross, in place of the at first suggested George Cross. And finally, the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in Oslo, to a standing ovation at a UN General assembly later that year. Making John the winner of a Guinness Book of Records entry and certificate, for the person with most multi-national decorations from a single mission.

CHAPTERS | CHARACTERS | MEDIA | MOVIE REF | SCREENPLAYS | SCRIPT