by Mark Spaid
“Okay, sir, here goes. There are considerable Stalinist movements throughout Russia and they would like to expand Russia’s borders to match the old Soviet Union.”
“And The Ukraine would be the big prize,” Deke posed.
“Yes, sir.”
“So how do they get The Ukraine?” Walter asked.
“Sir, it would take an extreme situation,” Jerry said.
“Explain,” Walter said. Jerry was nervous and especially nervous about talking to General Zumwalt. He took a deep breath and sighed as preparation for his theory.
“Nuclear blackmail, sir.”
“A face off with Russia, is that what you’re suggesting, Sergeant?”
“Yes, sir, or at least the possibility.”
“You get this from those pictures of a car on a hill overlooking the silo entrance?” Deke asked.
“Not just that, sir. The President of the United States and Russia will be at the meeting in Kerch. Security is not as tight as it should be, sir. In my opinion, sir,” Jerry said.
“Are you suggesting an assassination attempt on both Presidents, Sergeant?” Walter asked.
“I’m not sure, sir, but I was actually thinking more of a kidnapping.” Walter and Deke looked at one another.
“You’re kidding I hope,” Deke said.
“No, sir, I’m serious. I don’t know if it’s possible but I think that may be their aim,” Jerry said.
“Boy, Sergeant, you don’t hold back do you?” Walter asked.
“No, sir.”
“Your concern is duly noted, Sergeant. You need to keep this to yourself. No one else can know about any of this,” Deke said.
“Yes, sir,” Jerry said then returned to his station.
“What do you think?” Walter asked.
“Sounds incredible but…”
“But what?”
“I don’t think we should dismiss what he said out of hand.” They looked at one another and Deke nodded.
* * *
“Colonel are you worried about an attack?” Lieutenant Igor Radinsky asked his commanding officer at the Kapustin Yar launch site that Jerry Fillmore was surveilling.
“No more than usual. Colonel Mikhail Azarov replied.
“You’re not worried, sir?”
“I’m always worried, Lieutenant. Our job is to worry every day. We’re on the edge of disaster every minute in this complex and our American counterparts are in the same fix. We have the power to destroy the Earth so, yes, I worry and so should we all.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why did you ask?”
“We’ve picked up U.S. missile launches…tests only but it’s worrying.”
“I hope so, I shudder to think of the day when it doesn’t worry you.”
“The number of tests caught my attention.”
“How many?”
“Usually, it is around five a month but the last two months it’s been fourteen and twenty-one.” Azarov came to attention at that with a stern look.
“All over the pole I assume,” Azarov said.
“Yes, sir.”
“What do you make of it?”
“I’m not certain, sir. They could be testing a new device or a new tracking system and that’d require multiple launches.” Azarov nodded.
“Yes, I agree, well keep a very close eye on any future tests and keep me informed of any changes.”
“Yes, sir.” The lieutenant returned to his workplace and Colonel Azarov contemplated what he’d been told and slipped into deep thought trying to make sense out of it.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Are we ready?” Justin asked.
“I think so.” Jozette said.
“The luggage is all on board,” Andy said. Ariel had charted a large passenger van to take them to the airport and contracted two men to carry everything. From the house to the van and from the van to the terminal. They were waiting by the front door to depart, all except…well you know.
“Does she know we have a flight to catch?” Jozette asked.
“I told her to step on it,” Justin said.
“And her response was,” Andy asked.
“Cram it Justin,” he said and they all laughed. The girls had said their good-byes an hour ago and left for the mall. Will drove them. They thought it was better to avoid a gushing scene and they were probably right.
“I’m ready,” Belinda said at the top of the stairs and they all stood watching as the princess made one of her legendary entrances.
“That’s nice,” Andy said under his breath and Jozette nudged him so he didn’t set Belinda off on a tirade. It didn’t take much to get her in a bad mood then everyone would suffer.
“Here I come,” Belinda announced then began the slow walk down the stairs. She was wearing the shortest shorts possible, a halter top that barely contained her up top wares, six-inch heels, large silver hoop earrings and large pink sunglasses. Her cleavage was sprinkled with red and silver glitter like always as she sashayed down the stairs with one hand on her hip. Lexi and Tatiana grinned while Jozette rolled her eyes. Belinda shook and wiggled all the way down and it was a sight to see because it wasn’t possible to explain it to someone. It had to be seen. At the bottom she let out a large sigh and smiled from ear to ear.
“What’s my name?” Warren whispered to Ariel and she poked him in the ribs and chuckled.
“I bet the Ukrainians have never seen anything like that before,” Dave said and there was laughter.
“I see you’re dressed for the occasion,” Tatiana said.
“What occasion?” Andy asked and got a look from Belinda.
“You look gorgeous,” Tatiana said and she and Belinda went to the van arm in arm.
“Do you think you might be a little over the top on your wardrobe, Lind?” Jozette asked.
“I think I look fine,” Belinda said then put her nose in the air.
“I know that, you’re always beautiful, no one would ever question that but it might be a matter of where we’re going and who we’re meeting,” Jozette added.
“Shouldn’t the President see how beautiful I am?”
“Lind, you look beautiful in jeans, sweatshirt and tennis shoes,” Jozette said, “but it might be a question of decorum.”
“Well, I like the way I look.” That was the end of the discussion as they pulled into the airport.
“Let’s get through security first, it might take some time,” Justin suggested and he was right. It was an hour then they waited in their section for boarding, which was another hour.
“Are you excited?” Ariel asked Warren.
“About meeting the President.”
“Yes.”
“I already met the President and I talked to him too,” Warren said.
“When?”
“Teddy Roosevelt in 1904,” Warren whispered and Ariel chuckled. They sat holding hands and she laid her head on his shoulder.
“I love you, Warren.”
“And I love you, Ariel.”
“I’m sure glad you came back with us.”
“I’m glad every day.”
It should be noted here that the group, that at the time included Justin, Belinda, Andy, Jozette, Dave, Tatiana, Ariel, Little Wolf, Julieta and Darcy went back in time to 1907, (see the book Voices for clarification) where they picked up Warren, Sterling and Mason and brought them back to the present. Thus, the cryptic phrase by Ariel ‘glad you came back with us’.
“Are you going to tell her about your work?”
“If I have the chance but I think I’ll let her bring up the subject.”
“Very wise…you know Dave and Sol are the only ones who can understand what you’re doing or what you’re saying when you get started.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you go on about your work when you know the rest of us don’t understand?”
“Justin understands the basic theory and Andy and Will to a lesser extent and of course Little Wolf.”
“It
must be nice to be so smart.”
“It is.”
“Warren.”
“Sorry but thank you for calling me smart and it must be nice to be so nice.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You and how generous you are.”
“It’s easy to be generous when you have millions.”
“But some people have millions and keep it all. You help people who need it and that’s special to me. I’m proud to be married to you, Ariel.”
“And, I’m proud of my eccentric scientist husband.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It was but you haven’t answered my question.”
“Oh, yes, well, I would like to tell her about it because if I’m successful the military will take over quickly.”
“Why?”
“To weaponize it, the principle anyway. Sending high voltage electricity over long distances through the air opens endless possibilities for weapons.”
“I see and you hope to get to the President first and head off the military?”
“Something like that.”
“Good luck to my genius husband.”
“I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.”
“Good, now go get me a package of gum, please.”
“I’m off,” Warren said as he headed to the gift shop.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” Belinda said and left.
“Can you believe those shorts?” Jozette asked Andy softly.
“I can’t believe any of it.”
“She needs to look respectable; wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I know she’s gorgeous and likes to show off and I love that about her but not on this trip.”
“Good luck telling her that,” Andy said.
“She looks like an escort,” Jozette said. “It makes the rest of us look cheap and trashy.” Belinda was walking back and she’d been crying.
“What’s wrong?” Tatiana asked as she got up and went to her friend. Many years ago, Belinda had saved Tatiana from a dark period of depression after her baby died. Since then Belinda was something special for Tatiana. She always came to Belinda’s side in any argument and she looked after her physically and emotionally when needed. They sat down and Belinda lowered her head. Tatiana put her arm around her friend’s shoulder.
“What happened, Lind?” Jozette asked. Belinda frustrated Jozette at times but if anyone gave Belinda any grief Jozette was ready to do battle. Belinda looked up at Jozette and Tatiana with wet eyes.
“I was in the bathroom and these two women who saw me earlier were standing at the mirror and they didn’t know I was in the stall.”
“What happened?” Jozette asked.
“They said I was a cheap slut and a whore for dressing the way I did. They said they wanted to catch me alone and beat me senseless. Why would they say that?” Then she broke down crying. Tatiana hugged her and Jozette patted Belinda’s knee. Jozette had a look on her face and got up to find the two women.
“Jo, not now,” Tatiana said and Jozette sat back down. Belinda sat up and wiped her eyes.
“Do I look like a cheap slut?” Belinda asked. Jozette and Tatiana looked at one another.
“Cards on the table?” Jozette asked.
“Yes,” Belinda said.
“Not cheap, I’d say a high-class call girl…two thousand a night minimum,” Jozette said. Belinda looked at Tatiana and she nodded agreement.
“I didn’t think about where we were going when I was dressing. I am dressed like a tramp. I’m sorry girls. I feel awful now, Justin must be embarrassed to be with me.”
“Honey, Justin is proud to be with you every day,” Tatiana said.
“I look embarrassing to all of you but no one had the nerve to say anything.”
“Lind, have you ever seen yourself in a fit of anger. No one wants to risk that if it can be avoided,” Jozette said.
“So, I’m a crazy, screaming, lunatic, bitch?”
“Well, not lunatic,” Jozette said with a grin.
“Then I’m a crazy, screaming…”
“Honey, relax,” Tatiana said. “Don’t get worked up over this.”
“I do, sometimes don’t I?”
“You do,” Jozette said.
“It’s that Italian thing, I guess,” Belinda said in a moment of self-reflection.
“I don’t know what it is but it’s frightening to all around,” Tatiana said chuckling and Belinda grinned.
“But I can’t change, my luggage is on the plane.”
“We can fix that,” Ariel said and they looked up to see her standing a few feet away. “I was listening, sorry.”
“I guess I get loud sometimes,” Belinda said.
“Sometimes?” Ariel said and they all four laughed.
“There’s a clothing shop around the corner. Tatiana can help you find something and I have a credit card with a fifty-thousand-dollar limit.” They laughed again then Belinda, Tatiana and Ariel left to fix the wardrobe problem.
“Well, that crisis can be averted I see,” Andy said.
“Yes, thanks,” Justin said. “I saw what she was wearing laid out on the bed this morning but I was afraid to say anything.”
“I thought she was getting better about holding back her outbursts,” Jozette said.
“She is, it’s not like it used to be but she’s still Belinda,” Justin replied.
“There’s only one of her, that’s for sure.”
“Thank goodness,” Justin said and Jozette laughed.
“Here she comes.”
“What a change.”
“We’re back,” Belinda said and she had her trademark smile. Belinda now wore shorts between her waist and knees, a pretty blue top, modest heels, no sunglasses, stud earrings and less whorish makeup.
“Lind, you look very nice,” Jozette said.
“You do, Miss Belinda,” Julieta said as she walked over to Belinda and put her arm around the much shorter Belinda. At five two Belinda often resembled a little sister to the five ten Jozette and five eleven Lexi. Julieta was five seven and Tatiana five six. Jozette always thought that Belinda’s diminutive size played into her loud and bombastic demeanor. Like a runt puppy that yaps louder so it can be heard. She never told Belinda her runt puppy thoughts to avoid setting her off but she was certain it was a factor.
“Thanks, I actually feel better. The shoes hurt my feet and the shorts were so tight I couldn’t breathe.” There was mild laughter. “I’m sorry I was dressed the way I was earlier. I owe everyone an apology.”
“You don’t owe anyone an apology, honey,” Tatiana said as she gave Belinda a quick hug.
“I vote we move on and board the plane,” Little Wolf said as he read the screen that it was time to board their charter and thought it was a good segue to help Belinda, whom he liked very much. They all found seats, first class of course and settled in for the trip to Washington D.C. There were groups of four seats in pairs facing each other. Warren and Ariel sat alone, which was their preference since they weren’t social animals. Tatiana and Dave sat across from Jozette and Andy which left Justin and Belinda across from Julieta and Little Wolf. Belinda had a thousand questions so she made sure Justin and she were across from the man with all the answers. Little Wolf was a wealth of knowledge and Dave and Justin were also well versed in history and international politics, Little Wolf was patient with Belinda and she liked to hear things from him. She sat down with her legs crossed and cupped hands on her knee then let out a sigh and smiled at Little Wolf. He was caught off guard and looked at Justin who grinned then leaned back and closed his eyes.
“You’re on, professor,” Justin said chuckling. Little Wolf turned to Julieta and she nodded towards Belinda.
“Okay, what about this Stalin guy?” Belinda asked.
“What?”
“Stalin, you said we’d continue talking about things on the plane ride. Well, here we are,” Belinda said.
/> “Ah, yes, now I remember, well, Joseph Stalin was a part of the Russian Revolution,” Little Wolf started.
“What’s that?”
“Russia is a very old nation and for centuries they were ruled by Tsars.”
“What’s a Tsar?”
“He’s like a King. He rules until he dies then his son becomes the Tsar.”
“What about daughters?”
“The oldest male always became Tsar first.”
“What if he didn’t have any sons?”
“Then the oldest female would rule.”
“She would be the Tsar?”
“Yes, except she was called Tsarina.”
“Were the Tsars bad?”
“Some were and some were good.”
“Is there a Tsar in Russia today?”
“No, that ended in 1917.”
“Why?”
“The Tsars had ruled for many years and the last royal family, called the Romanovs, ruled from 1613 until 1917.”
“Wow, so why did they get rid of the Tsars?”
“It was an old form of government that had outlived its usefulness. The Tsars were out of touch with the people. There were millions of Russians who were starving while the aristocrats lived in luxury.”
“What’s an aristocrat?”
“They were the wealthy landowners. Their families went back hundreds of years and the upper classes ruled over the lower classes.”
“Was that bad?”
“Not all the time but the rich are never very concerned about the poor.”
“So, what happened?”
“A group of people formed a party called the Bolsheviks. They were led by a man named Lenin and other guys such as Stalin and Trotsky plus many more. In 1917 the Russian people had had enough of being hungry and they revolted. The Bolsheviks led them and the Tsar was forced to abdicate.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means he had to give up his position as Tsar.”
“What happened to him?”
“He, his wife, his four daughters and one son were imprisoned.”
“Why?”
“The Bolsheviks thought if they were left loose, they might try and raise their own army and get back in power.”