Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Laura Donohue's name on first reference.

A missing nuclear warhead. An outbreak of Ebola. A suspected terrorist with a bulging backpack walking a New York City street.

Those are a few of the national security scenarios students from a dozen law schools could face in Washington beginning on Friday as a two-day simulation places them in the role of the nation's top decision-makers during a crisis.