Table of Contents
Jesus Walks: A History of the War on Terror, 1979-1992
The POD
On November 4th, 1979, forces loyal to the Iranian Revolution seized the American embassy in Tehran. They were held for 444 days until they were released, moments after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th President of the United States of America. At least, that's how it happened in our timeline. But a hostage taking is a messy, chaotic thing. What might have happened if it took for a turn for the worse?
In the world of Jesus Walks, due to circumstances unknown, the taking of the American embassy goes horribly awry, ending in the deaths of all embassy personnel. Responding to American cries for blood, president Jimmy Carter sees only one response, and it is one that will drag America into war, but a war unlike any before. This will be a war on terrorism itself, and it will change the face of the world forever.
Table of Contents:
Act I: The Father
- Chapter 01: Jesus Walks: An attack on the US embassy in Tehran leaves the diplomats slain. President Carter swears action.
- Chapter 02: War Pigs: Earlier that day, Carter is persuaded to take action by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
- Chapter 03: Bad Moon Rising: Carter contemplates the coming American response as it draws near.
- Chapter 04: The Highwayman: Operation Evening Light begins.
- Chapter 05: All Along the Watchtower: Operation Evening Light continues, as the helos arrive at Desert One.
- Chapter 06: Lullaby: Operation Evening Light continues, as the operators arrive at the mission site.
- Chapter 07: Kashmir: Operation Evening Light concludes, as the operators begin to leave the city.
- Chapter 08: Filmstar: Jimmy Carter meets with Tony Mendez, mastermind behind the Argo Escape.
- Chapter 09: Testify: President Carter publicly reveals Evening Light, and declares a War on Terror.
- Chapter 10: The Beast of America: The 1980 Republican Primaries conclude.
- Chapter 11: Stompa: The occupation of Iran begins.
- Chapter 12: The Times They Are a-Changin': A flashback to 1977 reveals the true reason for the changes to the timeline.
- Chapter 13: Master Exploder: Demo Dick and a team of operators execute Operation Credible Sport.
- Chapter 14: The Man Who Sold the World: Jimmy Carter meets with Leonid Brezhnev at Camp David to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
- Chapter 15: Eyes on Fire: Carter and Reagan debate, the purpose of Marcinko's briefcase is revealed.
- Chapter 16: God's Gonna Cut You Down: The 1980 Presidential Election.
- Chapter 17: California Dreaming: Reagan returns to California, Montel Williams has a job interview, and Jodie Foster discusses the threats she's been receiving.
- Chapter 18: We Have All the Time in the World: President Carter meets with Jodie Foster to discuss the threats against him.
(Chapter descriptions past this point may contain spoilers)
Act II: The Son
- Chapter 19: Simple Gifts: The 1981 Presidential Inauguration.
- Chapter 20: Only the Good Die Young: A terrorist attack occurs in East Berlin.
- Chapter 21: Politik: Mondale and Brezhnev meet to discuss the Berlin bombing.
- Chapter 22: Radioactive: Richard Marcinko sits on a planning committee for the proposed international antiterrorism task force.
- Chapter 23: Independent Woman: The Equal Rights Amendment is passed.
- Chapter 24: Drain You: The Shah is installed in his Palace in Tehran.
Bonus Material:
Not part of the storyline proper, these serve as non-fiction asides, generally intended to introduce a potentially unfamiliar concept to the reader. They generally deal heavily with the subject as it pertains to OTL, but with information about how it will be affecting the timeline. Some are brief vignettes about the world beyond the scope of the story itself, and some are a behind-the-scenes examination of why something occurred the way it did ITTL, if including that discussion in the narrative itself would be too disruptive.
- 1980 Presidential Election Retrospective (SPOILERS)