Falcon Down

by Mark Spaid

  “My situation is unusual but I assure you I have no sinister background nor do I associate with scurrilous characters.”

  “You seemed to have surfaced a few years ago and began college at IU where you received a Ph.D. in physics.”

  “Yes.”

  “And, you married Ariel.”

  “Yes.”

  “Good choice.”

  “I know.”

  “What are you working on now?”

  “I’m in the New Mexico desert for Westinghouse doing research into long distance electrical transfer.”

  “You mean sending electricity over distances without wires?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “Tesla.”

  “Yes, Ma’am and let me say I’m impressed.

  “Don’t be, I did a book report in college on Tesla. Interesting man, a real futurist. Are you a futurist, Mr. Peabody?”

  “I’m not sure,” Warren said as he looked at Dave.

  “I’d say that Warren and I are both futurists like most physicists,” Dave posed. Ellen nodded her head.

  “I see well, I’d like to continue this discussion in the future, Mr. Peabody.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “And now the best for last, Little Wolf Kline and his lovely wife Julieta. Mr. Kline, you were adopted from a reservation in New York. Their records were obscure so we never really got to the answer we were looking for but I’m satisfied that you are of good character.”

  “Thank you, Madam President, I’m glad I passed muster.”

  “Was law your passion as a young child?”

  “I guess so, I saw many people as I grew up who could’ve fared better with good legal representation.”

  “And you were the answer to that?”

  “One answer.”

  “Well said, I think you’re ready to run for congress.”

  “No thank you, Ma’am, I don’t want to be away from home that much.”

  “A wise choice. Now, Julieta, daughter of immigrant parents who came here for a better life. Two sisters, two brothers and a mom who is now remarried after your father died prematurely. No doubt from working multiple jobs to support a family living in the projects.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “That’s lousy, Julieta and I’m sorry that it happened to your family.”

  “It really happened to my father, Madam President.”

  “Indeed, and you should know that I have introduced legislation to provide meaningful employment for the parents of immigrant families as they pursue citizenship. These hard-working people should not be stuck in minimum wage jobs.”

  “Thank you for that, Madam President, there are thousands of Hispanics who just want an even chance.”

  “Exactly and hopefully we can do that for them.”

  “Are you running for election because if you are, I’m voting for you,” Julieta said.

  “I haven’t decided.”

  “I hope you do,” and there was general agreement from everyone.”

  “Thank you, and I may hit you up for a donation.” There was laughter. “Now, back to Julieta. Dentistry, when did this happen?”

  “I had a scholarship for IU and Miss Ariel paid for dental school plus she bankrolled me when I started my practice.”

  “I’m not surprised and a sound investment if I had to guess.”

  “Yes, a very sound one indeed,” Ariel said and Julieta grinned and nodded to her friend.

  “And, a free clinic twice a month and twice a month for your partner in practice. So, anyone can get free dental work on Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana,” Ellen posed.

  “If they are indigent.”

  “Good, I like the sound of that.”

  “Thank you, Madam President.”

  “Well, this is an interesting group indeed,” Ellen remarked. Forgive me if it seemed like I was grilling you but I like to get to know the people I’m with and you are all more interesting than the usual lot I get.”

  “We consider it an honor,” Andy said and Jozette rolled her eyes.

  “Maybe you should go into politics, Mr. Kline, you seem to speak the lingo.” Dave laughed out loud at that.

  “Why the disparity in our occupations?” Justin asked.

  “I wanted reporters, business people, scientists, lawyers, medical professionals. I like to be familiar with all types and kinds of people.”

  “When will we land?” Andy asked.

  “In a few hours, I really don’t know. They come and tell me when we’re an hour out so I can clean up and look presentable,” Ellen said and they all laughed. There was some more small talk then thanks by everyone to the host and the group left.

  “That was nice,” Belinda said. “I like her.”

  “Yes, she is a gracious host and a complex person. Don’t let that Xavier Corners talk fool you, she is a sharp individual,” Justin said.

  “I picked that up too,” Dave added.

  “She’s so normal,” Belinda said.

  “I agree, it was like Thanksgiving at my aunt’s house without the screaming kids,” Dave said.

  “I felt so comfortable around her. I was nervous about having lunch with the President. I mean, who wouldn’t be but she was so laid back,” Andy said.

  “Her views surprised me but I guess there are all kinds in any party” Jozette said.

  “I think I’m on the hot seat,” Warren posed.

  “How?” Andy asked.

  “She’s not going to let my lack of a history go without doing some digging,” Warren answered.

  “What if she presses you for an answer?” Tatiana asked.

  “I may have to tell her the truth.” They looked at one another and let out collective gulps and sighs. Maybe the secret will have to come out. The repercussions of the President knowing was what worried them.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The Crimean Star would house Ellen Lexington, Sergei Deniken and their entourages. It wasn’t the largest or even the best hotel in Kerch but it presented the fewest security problems and both sides agreed to its use over a year ago. The meeting was in the works as soon as negotiating began on the American/Russian treaty. In Russia it was referred to as the Russian/American treaty as petty formalities are always a part of any negotiation. The staff at the Star had undergone a house cleaning four months previous. New owners took over and the old-timers were released. New stock was brought in to modernize things. Yefim Galkin was the new manager and he was a hard-nosed character who was there every minute of every day. He lived on the top floor in a luxury suite so there was no time to dawdle when the boss was away. The desk manager was a smallish bespectacled little twit named Yuri Bulganesky. He had a thin-lipped evil smile and a wet, limp-fish hand shake. The female employees were not immune to his advances as he was a lecherous and aggressive fiend with a record of arrests for sexual advances towards women and young girls. He and Galkin were close friends and were frequently in corners whispering and looking around the lobby, the dining room, outside or wherever they were in the hotel at the time. Nikita Smolenevitch was head of security for the hotel and he was a dark figure who rarely if ever spoke to anyone but he could be seen lurking in corners spying on guests and employees. He would stand behind the main desk watching the clerks for a half an hour at a time, though he never said why and then when they turned around, he’d be gone. He was hated by all in the hotel and that seemed to be what he wanted. There were two baggage attendees, Viktor Manatov and Peter Lanewsky, who were seen talking to Smolenevitch on occasion and when they weren’t carrying suitcases, they were moving around the hotel checking doors and windows. In all a peculiar and rather slimy crew…and they all worked for Andrei Kulagin.

  * * *

  “May I step out for a cigarette, sir?” Igor Radinsky asked his commanding officer Mikhail Azarov at Kapustin Yar.

  “Yes, Lieutenant.” Kapustin Yar wasn’t quite as secure as the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. They could leave the building and drift off for a cigarette or whatev
er else they liked. Despite the fanatical love that Russians had for cigarettes, they had banned smoking in the facility. Igor walked away from the site and ambled up a small hill overlooking the building. Though it looked rather ordinary the Kapustin Yar control center was a fortress. The walls were six feet thick of heavily reinforced concrete. There were two lower levels that were impenetrable from below and the ceiling and roof were four inches of high-grade steel. Once the facility was locked down there was no getting in without someone opening the door.

  “Rad, get over here,” a voice from the passenger seat said and Igor slowly made his way to the car so to not give a passerby a reason to be suspicious.

  “Yeah.”

  “What do you have?” A man in a gray suit wearing a fedora pulled over his eyes asked.

  “I’m setting the Colonel up for the test.”

  “Will you be ready?”

  “I think so.”

  “You think so, you better be sure if you value your life.”

  “I know that but I can’t guarantee anything. Captain Retzlarian is a blind-eyed patriot and loyal to Deniken. He’ll probably be in the control room with me but that won’t be a problem. It won’t take long …one button and the place will be locked down with me at the controls.”

  “That’s good. We’ll be in touch so keep it moving.”

  “Yes, Comrade.” The man gave Igor a look and shook his head as the car drove away.

  * * *

  “Sergeant Fillmore, front and center,” Deke barked out and Jerry Fillmore moved quickly to the General’s station and saluted both General Zumwalt and Captain Winters.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “What’s your latest theories, Sergeant?” Walter asked.

  “Sir, I think Lieutenant Alton should be here. We’ve been working closely together.”

  “You haven’t shown her the photos, have you?” Deke asked.

  “No, sir.”

  “Good,” Deke said. “Alton.”

  “Yes, sir,” Barbara stood beside Jerry and saluted.

  “We need all you have on Russian activity anywhere on the globe,” Deke said.

  “Sir, I’ve been continuing to follow the situation at Kapustin Yar,” Jerry said as he darted his eyes nervously towards Barbara. Walter grinned.

  “I think we can include Lieutenant Alton now,” Walter said.

  “Yes, sir. Well, sir, the car is still there. It comes and goes…nothing new; it just sits there but I have photos of a man approaching the car and he came from the missile site.” Walter and Deke gave each other concerned looks.

  “He came out of the site and walked to the car that’s there periodically?” Deke asked.

  “Yes, sir,”

  “How long was he there?” Walter asked.

  “Less than ten minutes, sir.”

  “How can we be sure?” Deke asked.

  “The satellite photos are ten minutes apart, sir. The man was gone before the next photo was taken,” Jerry answered. Walter nodded to Deke.

  “Alton can see the photos now,” Deke said and Jerry handed them to Lieutenant Alton.

  “Well, done, Sergeant,” Deke said. Barbara was looking at the photos and shook her head.

  “What is your impression, Lieutenant?” Walter asked.

  “I’m concerned, sir.”

  “Join the club,” Walter said.

  “What do you have, Lieutenant?” Deke asked.

  “Russian ship movements have increased since we last spoke, sir.”

  “How much?” Walter asked.

  “Considerable, sir. Their surface ships are on the move in the North Atlantic, around the Sea of Japan and in the Pacific near Alaska.”

  “What are they doing?” Deke asked.

  “Naval exercises, sir.”

  “Don’t they do that already?”

  “Yes, sir, but not to this extent.”

  “What else, Lieutenant?” Walter asked.

  “Sir, their subs are very active. They’re moving in packs of six near the west coast, near New York and Washington D. C. Of course, they’re in the North Sea but also near the Philippines, west and east of the Panama Canal and they’re now north of Hawaii.” Barbara finished and Walter and Deke looked at one another shaking their heads.

  “What are they up to?” Walter asked as he got up to stretch. “Lieutenant, Sergeant any thoughts?”

  “Saber rattling, sir,” Jerry said.

  “Perhaps more, sir,” Barbara said.

  “Something more but what?” Deke asked.

  “Yeah, what?” Walter added and the meeting was over.

  “Sir, we can’t afford to be caught napping.”

  “We won’t; get me Alaskan Air Command on the horn. Tommy, this is Zumwalt at NORAD. Yes. Hey for the next few days until this summit is over and the President is back in Washington make sure all your pilots are on their toes and ready to scramble…that’s right, no liberty, everyone on deck and suited up for action. Keep one third of them in the air…no we’ll stay at DEFCON FIVE for now. Yes, I’ll let you know immediately. I know, we’ve been watching the subs and the surface fleet…yeah my fingers are crossed too.”

  “Sir, should we inform the President?” Deke asked.

  “I’ll send a coded message.”

  “I hope this is just them showing off,” Deke said. Walter nodded and shook his head as he examined the photos again.

  * * *

  “Madam President, I have a coded message from NORAD that’s been ciphered,” Trent Wilson said as he handed the message to Ellen.

  “Thank you, Trent.” He left and she read the message. “Bonnie.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Get Henry in here.” Bonnie left and a minute later national security advisor Henry York walked in and bowed. “Henry, I wish you’d stop bowing. I’m not the queen.”

  “Sorry, old habit I picked up at the Court of St. James.”

  “Well, do me a favor and lose it.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “What do hear about Russian military movements recently?”

  “The usual, though their subs are more active.”

  “Is that showing off or a show of force?”

  “Could be either one or both.”

  “I wish I knew what they were doing.”

  “It’s hard to figure the Russians out,” Henry said.

  “I know.”

  “I can ask a couple of people I know.”

  “Good but before you do that listen to this from General Zumwalt at NORAD. He says, ‘Dear Madam President, we are piecing together intelligence we’ve received recently and it’s painting a picture that if not disturbing it is at least of concern.’”

  “Whoa,” Henry said as she sat back in his chair.

  “Russian surface ships are more active than usual and their subs are patrolling closer than usual to the U.S on both coasts. They are in the Sea of Japan, near the Philippines and flank both entrances to the Panama Canal.”

  “Now, that is suggestive.”

  “Suggestive of what?”

  “Well, if it was the old days of the Soviet Union, I’d say they were ready for a move into West Berlin.”

  “But these are the new days and we have Russia instead of the Soviet Union. So, now what does it mean?”

  “I’m not sure Ma’am.”

  “We don’t pay you to say you don’t know, Henry.”

  “Ma’am, you don’t pay me at all, remember. I’m working as an advisor for free.”

  “I forgot, Henry, sorry. Hey, maybe I can get you a couple of weekend passes to Disneyland.”

  “That would be swell, Madam President.” They chuckled for a second then returned to the duty at hand.

  “We have satellite photos of the Kapustin Yar missile site just south of Volgograd. There’s some kind of surveillance going on and we’re not sure what it is but a man from the missile control building was seen talking to people in a car.”

  “I don’t like that at all,” Henry said
.

  “Neither do I.”

  “What else?”

  “General Zumwalt has ordered the Alaskan Air Command to cancel all leaves and have the entire squadron ready for action.”

  “What about the DEFCON level?”

  “It’s still at five.”

  Clarification here for DEFCON. It stands for Defensive Condition. It ranges from 1-5 with 5 being peace and 1 being war. (Yes, 1 is bad)

  “Well, that’s good but the Russians are going to get nervous if they see our planes in the air. I take it he wants a third of them airborne all the time.”

  “Yes.”

  “Does he say what he thinks this business is at Kapustin Yar with the car and the man from the control room?”

  “He’s not sure.”

  “You know, Madam President, there are so many fringe groups in Russia, especially the Stalinists it wouldn’t surprise me at all for one of them to try and take over a missile site and blackmail the whole world.”

  “Is that possible?”

  “I don’t know but they’re resourceful.”

  “Is this because of the summit?”

  “Of course.”

  “Okay, check with your contacts and let me know.” Henry left and Ellen sat in a chair and thought about the situation. It wasn’t a good one.

  * * *

  “Comrade Kulagin, I have a message from Galkin at the hotel,” a short man said as he walked up to Andrei Kulagin in a small café. It was Anton Kolchevsky a cohort of Kulagin. Kulagin took the paper and read it.

  “He says his people are prepared and the guests will be there in a few hours.”

  “So, we are ready?”

  “Yes, it only remains to pull off the grab.”

  “When?” Kolchevsky asked.

  “They’ll start the meeting but the first day is informal. We let them have that so they get comfortable. Then the second day we move.”

  “It’ll be a glorious day for Comrade Stalin.”

  “Yes, a glorious day,” Kulagin said.

  CHAPTER SEVEN