by Mark Spaid
“The car is there nearly every day, sir, and the same man comes out to talk to them. Today it was early before his shift.”
“You know it’s the same guy?” Walter asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“The cameras are that good?”
“Yes, sir and we think we know who it is.”
“You’re kidding?” Deke said.
“No, sir. We have him identified as Igor Radinsky,” Jerry said and handed a photo to Walter.
“When did you find this out?” Deke asked.
“Literally, ten minutes ago. I was double checking with photo reconnaissance and I’m sure it’s Radinsky.”
“Who is he?” Walter asked.
“A lieutenant, signal corps officer and he worked in their nuclear weapons development program for three years. He’s twenty-seven and was transferred to Kapustin Yar six months ago,” Jerry said.
“Who is he?” Deke asked, sensing there was more to this Radinsky guy.
“We have information from Interpol, mostly anecdotal but it suggests that Radinksy is connected to Kulagin.” General Zumwalt sighed and shook his head.
“This just keeps getting better and better,” Walter said sarcastically. “Get Alton up here.”
“Yes, sir,” Lieutenant Alton said as she stood at attention in front of the general’s station.
“At ease, Lieutenant. What do you have on their subs?”
“They’ve moved closer to the international line on both of our coasts, sir.”
“What else?” Walter asked as he detected something in Alton’s voice that suggested she had more.
“They’ve deployed their super subs, sir.”
“Super subs?” Walter asked.
“The newest addition to their sub surface fleet, sir. They’re sonar invisible.”
“Are we sure of that?” Deke asked.
“It’s scuttlebutt mixed with some info we have from satellites and U-2 photos, sir.”
“How reliable is it?”
“We track them then they vanish but reappear later, miles away.”
“Are they actually invisible or do they just project a false image?” Walter asked.
“We’re not sure, sir.”
“Great, so now we’re chasing the invisible man.”
“I’m afraid so, sir,” Lieutenant Alton replied.
“Thank you, Lieutenant, keep me informed.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Deke.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Get me General Ledger at Alaskan Air Command.”
“Yes, sir.” It was a ticklish situation. The Russians were clearly on the move for some reason and Walter didn’t want to get caught napping. “Sir, General Ledger.”
“Tommy, we’re tracking Russian sub movements and other things and I’m not liking what I see.”
“What’s happening?”
“We’re not sure but I don’t want to be standing around twiddling my thumbs if something happens. Just be on alert and ready.”
“Consider it done, Walt.”
“I’ll keep you informed.”
“Sir, should you call the President?” Deke asked.
“My next move exactly.” General Zumwalt called President Lexington and briefed her on the situation with Russian military moves and the odd happenings at Kapustin Yar. Ellen listened and thanked the general for the update. It was a short conversation and to the point. When she hung up the phone, she called in Andrew and Henry York and they discussed what Zumwalt had told her.
“Any reaction, gentlemen?”
“Typical Russian bluster,” Andrew said.
“Henry?” Ellen asked as she looked at her national security advisor.
“Andrew is right but in light of the summit they could be up to something.”
“Like what for instance?”
“A bold move.”
“Where?”
“Estonia” Henry suggested.
“They’d invade Estonia? You’re kidding I hope.”
“What would you do?” Henry asked. Ellen thought for a moment and the truth was she didn’t know what she’d do.
“Good question. They’d gamble that I wouldn’t go to war over a tiny country that they used to control along with all of Eastern Europe.”
“Exactly and to the Stalinist movement the old Soviet Union borders are the de facto status quo,” Henry posed.
“Then they’d have their Baltic Sea base.”
“They would indeed and you’d have to decide if you wanted to go to war over it,” Henry said. Ellen nodded understanding and agreement with what he said.
“And you and the Russians doubt if I’d do that.”
“Would you?” Henry asked. Andrew was the diplomat but Henry was blunt and to the point. He didn’t pull any punches.
“I don’t know, you and Andrew would have to advise me.”
“But the decision is yours and yours alone, Madam President,” Henry informed her.
“I know that and thank you for reminding me.” Henry nodded.
“Ma’am, what did General Zumwalt have to say?” Andrew asked.
“That Russian subs are more active than usual, their surface fleet is on the move in the Far East and the Mediterranean and there are suspicious events taking place outside of Kapustin Yar. You know just the regular crisis stuff.” Ellen shook her head and sighed.
“Did General Zumwalt alert the Alaskan Command?” Andrew asked.
“Oh, yes. All leaves are cancelled and planes are in the air. It’s routine but the Russians will view it as us stepping things up.”
“As they should,” Henry added.
“Yes, as they should and we both stumble headlong into crisis,” Ellen said as she got up and paced.
“Will you bring up these things to Deniken today?” Henry asked.
“He knows it all and he knows I know as well.”
“How are you going to approach him today?” Andrew asked.
“I’ll let him take the lead. We were ready to sign yesterday. He’s the one who’s stalling. We all know why, part of the Russian mantra as you two both know. The ball is in his court and after he makes his absurd offer, I’ll turn him down and we’ll go from there.”
“You think we have the advantage?” Andrew asked.
“Well, don’t you?”
“I think so, after all it was Deniken’s idea for the treaty. He needs this to shore things up at home. You know big headlines…Deniken keeps The Ukraine out of NATO,” Andrew explained.
“And we’ll give him that for The Crimea but nothing less for us and nothing more for him.”
“No base in the Baltic?” Henry asked.
“No.”
“What about a naval base on the west side of The Crimea. They have one there now.”
“And, I’d be open to that idea.”
“What will The Ukraine say about a Russian presence there?” Henry asked.
“It’s out of their hands. The two super powers are running this show,” Ellen said. Henry nodded agreement.
“Madam President, your car is here,” Bonnie said as she peeked her head into the room.
“I’m coming.”
“Good luck, Ma’am,” Andrew said with two thumbs up.
“I’ll need it.” It was decided that Andrew and Henry should stay at the hotel. Ellen didn’t want to give the impression that she was being handled. Deniken was already at the meeting hall in a room with his advisors. The two presidents would meet at two pm. On this day, meetings were planned for the afternoon then in the evening a bus trip across the Crimean Bridge was scheduled. They would go into Russia and tour the Port of Kavkaz. It was a big PR moment for Deniken and Russian television would play it up big as the Russian President taking the U.S. President in tow like a child. Deniken didn’t want that but it was out of his hands. President Lexington knew all of this but she would play the game. In time Deniken would come to the U.S. and she could return the favor.
“Let’s hope
for the best,” Ellen said to Bonnie as the car pulled away from the hotel.
“Can you hammer out an agreement, Ma’am?” Bonnie asked.
“I hope so, you never know. These meetings can bring surprises.”
* * *
“The American President and Deniken will be in for a big surprise,” Yefim Galkin said as he and Yuri Bulganesky, the desk manager finished up the last-minute plans for the kidnapping of the two presidents
“I’ll get Lanewsky and Manatov,” Bulganesky said and pulled out a walkie talkie. They were antiquated but the advantage they had over cell phones was, they couldn’t be traced.
“Yes, sir.” Lanewsky said as the two stood in front of the desk. They weren’t at attention exactly but it was the next best thing.
“They’re at the meeting. The bus tour will begin at five thirty. Be in position across the bridge. Kulagin and his men will make their move after you two stop the bus.”
“Yes, Comrade,” Manatov said.
“Not so loud,” Galkin said softly with a finger to his lips. Manatov looked at Lanewsky who gave a facial gesture telling his partner to be discreet.
“When do we leave?” Lanewksy asked.
“In an hour the two of you will drive across the bridge and wait at the location given to you. It’s a parking lot, level with the street. Remain quiet and no one will notice anything. The U.S. will have no agents in Russia and the Russians will be concentrating on the caravan,” Galkin said.
“Where will the secret service and Russian agents be?” Manatov asked.
“They’ll each be in separate cars to the rear of the bus,” Bulganesky replied.
“Will there be a car in front of the bus?” Lanewsky asked.
“Yes, but he is one of us,” Galkin said and so is the bus driver.”
“How did we manage that?” Manatov asked.
“We did, that’s all you need to know,” Bulganesky said.
“Is there another car to handle the security vehicles after we block the bus?” Lanewsky asked.
“Yes, we have two trucks who will take out the security details before you make your move.” Lanewsky and Manatov looked at one another, grinned and nodded before leaving the front desk and disappearing.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Is everything ready?” Kulagin asked one of his lackeys over a cell as his team waited at an abandoned building on the outskirts of Novorossiysk for the two presidents and their entourages to be brought to them. The place was a fortress with a huge cache of automatic weapons, grenade launchers, gas masks, food, medical supplies and a state-of-the-art communication system so they could talk to the police when the building was finally surrounded and they could broadcast a television signal showing the two Presidents held captive. They had a direct line to Kapustin Yar and could also talk to Melenkov when necessary. The plan was multi-faceted and was dependent on several things happening and there could be no foul ups. Both presidents had to be taken and held as ransom. Radinsky had to take over at Kapustin Yar with his finger on the button. Melenkov needed to be in Deniken’s office. Kulagin had made arrangements to take out the Prime Minister Berelenov. Melenkov was the opposition leader to Deniken and with the president and the Prime Minister out of the picture, he would be ready to take over. There were many elements in the military that sided with Kulagin and his philosophy so there would be plenty of help for Melenkov.
“Yes, Comrade, Galkin and Bulganesky report they are set to go into operation.” Once hostages were taken and secure in the possession of the Stalinists, things would start to happen. Radinsky would have control of the missile silo at Kapustin Yar. There was a team assigned to take out the next in line behind the President of Russia, the Prime Minister, Vladimir Berelenov who was on vacation at his villa in the country. It was a full-fledged coup. Melenkov would appear as the titular head of state but it was Kulagin who was set up to take over as dictator. In his mind the country would welcome him as a liberator and any acts of repressive violence would be cheered. For as we know the Russian people long to feel the whip. The biggest thing that Kulagin and his gang had going for them was that President Deniken was not very popular. Even the non-Stalinists didn’t want to give back The Crimea. President Deniken wanted to use The Crimea as a springboard to further reduction in the number of nuclear missiles on both sides. President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev had instituted Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) to reduce the number of missiles but each side still had around seven thousand. Presidents Deniken and Lexington had exchanged preliminary notes suggesting a program to reduce each side’s numbers by one thousand each year until they reached one thousand per country. That was still enough to completely destroy the planet but it provided a higher moral ground upon which to prevent new countries from establishing a program of nuclear weapons. Of course, secrets never remain hidden for long and there were leaks on both sides. As a result, the two Presidents released their aims to the public and that fed into the mania of militarists in both countries.
“Good, let’s make sure we’re ready.” Andrei was sitting and cleaning his favorite hand gun, a nine-millimeter Beretta. He had a hunting rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun at his disposal as well. His crew carried machine guns along with their own Berettas. These men were armed to the teeth and they knew how to use them and weren’t afraid to do so. Nearly all of them had killed before and frequently members of their own group. Kulagin, not unlike Stalin himself, was paranoid about someone plotting to bump him off and take over and on occasion he’d have two or three shot just to send a message to the rest. He had a total of thirty men, his best ones, on duty today. This was his moment in history and he had the best to help him achieve his goal. In his mind he was destined to greatness, a common characteristic of megalomaniacs. Who decided that he, Andrei Kulagin, was to shine in history’s spotlight today? Why Andrei did, of course…another characteristic of megalomaniacs.
* * *
“What’s this tour thing?” Belinda asked Justin as they all sat together in the hotel dining room for breakfast.
“The two presidents and their people along with the ten of us are going on a trip over the Crimean Bridge into Russia and see the sights,” Justin said.
“What sights?” Dave asked.
“Dave is right, there’s not much to see in rural Russia especially out here. The port at Kavkaz, maybe, if you like ships,” Tatiana said and there were chuckles.
“I think it’s more of a PR thing for the bridge and to show off that we are near Russia and not the U.S.,” Jozette suggested.
“You’re probably right, Jo,” Dave said.
“Where do we go?” Ariel asked.
“A van will take us to the bus at the meeting site,” Justin said.
“What time?” Warren asked.
“We leave here at one,” Justin replied.
“Are you nervous?” Tatiana asked.
“No, are you?” Justin asked.
“Yes, I am,” Tatiana answered.
“Why?” Jozette asked.
“We’ll be going into Russia and it’s always good to be nervous in Russia.” They all looked at Tatiana but no one said anything.
* * *
“Sir, it’s time for the test,” Lieutenant Radinsky said standing in front of Colonel Azarov.”
“Very well, clear the room everyone, Captain Retzlarian will stay with you.”
“But, sir, protocol states that I should do the test alone.”
“I know but I want another person in here in case something goes wrong.”
“Yes, sir.” Radinsky was nervous. Any plan begins to unravel when unexpected changes occur but he could handle it. Colonel Azarov and the rest of the staff of sixteen people, left for the officers’ lounge area.
“What’s first, Radinsky?” Captain Retzlarian asked. The details in an installation like Kapustin Yar or any missile launch site even those in the U.S. military are best left to the junior officers and non-coms. Lieutenants, sergeants and corporals handled the testing
then reported to their superiors who passed the results along to the top.
“Lock the room to level one.”
“Level one?”
“Yes, it must be free from any outside breach in case some time we have to do it for real.”
“Makes sense I guess but it’s kind of scary.”
“Scary or not we must do it” Radinsky sat at the control console where he usually was. If missiles were to be launched for real sometime in the future, either he or Retzlarian would push the button.
“Outer doors locked.”
“Ventilation systems closed.”
“Yes, all closed.”
“All communication closed off to the outside.”
“Yes, we are incommunicado.”
“Good,” Igor said.
“Checking circuits,” Svetlov said as he flipped switches and checked dials for electrical readings.
“Phase one,” Igor said as he punched in a code to the computer. A screen overhead lit up and showed all thirty-eight missiles at Kapustin Yar. There were more missiles at the site but only thirty-eight were up for this test. Each one carried a hydrogen warhead so, yes Radinsky had unspeakable power at his disposal when he needed it. “Missile location check.”
“All missiles identified.”
“Missile fuel check.”
“All missiles fully fueled.”
“Missile destination check.”
“All missile targets identified and locked in.”
“Phase two.”
“Initiating phase two
“Missile circuitry check.”
“All circuits working and ready for firing,” Svetlov answered. The words gave him the creeps and he cringed at the thought.
“Lock out entries.”
“Entries locked out.”
“Initiate phase three,” Igor said
“Phase three started.”
“We are in stage four of defensive readiness,” Igor said and a green light went on over the console.
“I hope it always stays there,” Svetlov said.
“Not very realistic.”
“Perhaps not but I have family and I’d like them to see the world for a time…maybe a hundred years or so…at least.”