by Mark Spaid
“That and she’s just like the rest of us in here,” Little Wolf said.
“How?”
“She’s scared.” Julieta nodded.
“I know what you mean. I killed a man a few minutes ago and my knees are still shaking.”
“We’re all scared, baby,” Jozette said as she squeezed Julieta’s wrist.
“I wish I was back in Indiana drilling someone’s teeth.”
“I do too, but not mine,” Andy said and Julieta grinned.
“I’m scared, Justin,” Belinda said as she nuzzled as close as she could get to her husband while they sat on the floor against the wall.
“Me too.”
“That’s all you can say, me too?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“How about everything is going to be okay.”
“I wish I could say that.”
“You’re not sure we’ll be alright?” Belinda asked.
“Are you kidding? With this maniac in charge I’m not sure of anything.”
“Warren, how are you feeling?” A frightened Ariel asked.
“I’m not supposed to talk,” he whispered.
“I know but, how are you?”
“In pain, now I’m done talking.” He sealed his lips and she lay next to him and held his hand. Kulagin paced the floor and his three lieutenants, Kolchevsky, Manatov and Lanewsky stood guard over the hostages who were mostly asleep except for Tatiana and Little Wolf who were both wide awake and looking around the room. They checked everything; the door, the people and their position and the activities of the guards, checking for routine and any weaknesses. They were formulating ideas as they knew eventually, they’d have to make a move to stop the men who held them at gunpoint. If they were killed…well that was an occupational hazard.
* * *
“Here we go, gentlemen,” Yuri Petrovsky said as he nudged his sleeping agents.
“Where we going?” Abram asked.
“To stalk the quarry.” The sun was just starting to break over the trees so they could see fine. They approached the villa and stopped behind a clump of trees about two hundred feet away. They each had a pistol and a gun. It was a pistol that fired a dart carrying a very powerful knockout drug that took effect in seconds.
“What’s this for?” Pavel asked showing his stun gun.
“The morning is always a good time to ambush. People are sluggish and off their guard. The dart will take effect in about ten seconds. Try to hit the face or neck area. The drug will act quicker the closer it is to the main arteries. You have silencers so we don’t raise any suspicions from the neighbors down the road. After we take out a couple of the agents it’ll get edgier and be prepared to kill the rest. Most of all we have to protect the lives of Prime Minister Berelenov and his wife.”
“Sir, the back door. Two of them are on the porch,” Abram said quietly.
“You and Pavel make your way around the house. Pavel, you go to the front door and Abram take the side entrance.”
“What are you doing?” Pavel asked as Yuri was changing clothes.
“Blending in with my surroundings.” He now had on a peasant’s outfit; he mussed up his hair, smeared some dirt on his face and pulled out a pint of vodka. “I’ll see if I can charm them like a local.”
“Good luck, sir,” Abram said as he and Pavel took off. Yuri waited until he saw that his two men were near the house then he began walking towards the back porch and singing to himself as he took a couple of swigs from his bottle. The two men saw and walked towards Yuri with their guns pulled but he kept singing and drinking. About twenty feet away he stopped and put his hands up laughing.
“I give up,” he said with slurred speech as he smiled. The two men examined him closely then looked at each and smiled before putting their guns away.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” One of them asked as they came off the porch and approached Yuri.
“Have a drink,” Yuri said and offered the bottle but they declined as they laughed. They said something to each other in Russian and when they turned to look at one another Yuri pulled his stun gun and fired twice. They both reached for the dart in their necks and started to pull their guns but it was a very fast acting drug and they fell to the ground. They’d be out about two hours. Yuri looked at the back door but saw nothing so he approached the house quietly and peeked in a window. There were two men in the kitchen and Nalkovitch in the living room with the Prime Minister and his wife. He wasn’t going to let them out of his sight and that was bad. Yuri recognized him and knew he was a fanatic of the first order. No doubt that was why Kulagin picked him.
“I hear a noise outside,” Nalkovitch said and the two men from the kitchen went out on the front porch. Pavel was hiding in a bush and Abram was spying from the side of the house. He had a clear shot and took it hitting a man in the back of his neck and he fell down immediately followed by the second guy that Pavel shot. They would be out for a long time. Yuri rushed in the back door and found what he thought; Nalkovitch with a gun pressed against the Prime Minister’s temple.
“Stay back or I’ll kill him. I don’t care about myself so you can forget bargaining,” Nalkovitch declared. Pavel and Abram came in the front door.
“Don’t try anything,” Yuri said and they both lowered their weapons.
“I take it my other two guys are not coming in to my rescue.”
“No,” Yuri said.
“Then we’re in a tie. I hate ties; I think someone should always win,” Nalkovitch said.
“I would agree,” Yuri said.
“Soon, Russia will be headed in the right direction again.”
“And, what direction would that be?”
“We’ll be honoring the wishes of Comrade Stalin.”
“And those were good things that he wanted?”
“Yes!”
“He was a bloody butcher.”
“He was what Russia needed. He made us into a great nation.”
“So, Communism was good?”
“Yes, it was. It brought order to the country. The people worked hard and there was a purpose at hand.”
“You mean give Stalin and his henchmen a cushy lifestyle?”
“No, to bring honor to Mother Russia and make her feared throughout the world.”
“Yes, Stalin was all about fear. He murdered my grandfather and his buddy Brezhnev killed my father.”
“They were weak and dispensable.”
“Perhaps but they were better than that maniac Stalin. I’ll take their contributions to the world over that psychopath any day.”
“You’ll see a return to order and discipline and it’ll be good.”
“There’ll be trials, reprisals, revenge executions, a return to the KGB?”
“Yes, and more.”
“Pardon me if that prospect is not exciting to me.”
“You’ll get used to it or be a casualty of the cause.” Things were in limbo and Yuri was afraid that something might cause Nalkovitch to pull the trigger so action was necessary. He, Pavel and Abram had worked out signals in the past and they were for situations like this one. It was very simple actually. Morse code by blinking. They laughed when Yuri suggested it but they spent days practicing and finally had it down pat. That was six months ago and of course they’d never had the opportunity to use it. Now, they did. Yuri signaled his two men and they nodded slightly. They were to the side of Nalkovitch so he couldn’t see them very well. Yuri took a breath and gave the go ahead. Pavel and Abram raised their stun guns and shot Vladimir and Olga in the neck and they fell to the floor instantly. There is a certain amount of hesitation in firing a gun even for a fanatic like Nalkovitch and especially if one is inexperienced. Yuri reckoned that Nalkovitch, though a philosophical fanatic, had never fired a gun before. In that brief moment of pause as Nalkovitvh looked at his hostages lying on the floor Yuri pulled his pistol and shot Nalkovitch in the head.
“Sir, I thought we were just going to knock them out,”
Abram posed.
“I couldn’t take a chance on the drug working fast enough. The Prime Minister’s life is too important. Besides one less crazy around can’t be a bad thing.”
“Agreed,” Pavel said.
“Now what?” Abram asked.
“Get the keys to their car,” Yuri said pointing at Nalkovitch. “Pavel and I will drive the Berelenovs to the Senate building. We’ll tie up the four goons in here and send out the police to get them. Abram you drive back the clown car.” They moved quickly and headed to Moscow.
* * *
“What’s going to happen, Daddy?” Darcy asked. They were all sitting in the living room watching the television news about events in The Crimea and Russia.
“I don’t know.”
“Will Mom and Daddy be okay?” Jessica asked. She was clinging to Dixie.
“No one knows anything, girls,” Lexi said. “I’m going to fix a meal.”
“I’ll help, Mom,” Zara said and they went to the kitchen.
“I’m not hungry,” Melanie said.
“Me either,” Mallory added.
“Girls, all of you; you need to eat and drink something. Fasting is not going to help things,” Will said.
“Mr. Will is right you know,” Paulita offered.
“I guess so,” Darcy said and they all moved to the dining room table where they could eat but also see and hear the television.
“I’m scared for Mom,” Jessica said.
“We’re all scared for our moms and dads,” Mallory said.
“I know but Miss Tatiana and Miss Jozette are tough; nothing scares them. But my mom is different. She gets frightened easily. I just wish I was there to hold her.”
“Who would hold you?” Lexi asked.
“Dixie of course, she’d be there with me.” They chuckled at that. It’d been a while since anyone laughed. They’d been on edge since the announcement of the kidnapping. A little relief from the fear was probably a good thing.
“What do these people want?” Zara asked.
“They’re fanatics who are dedicated to Joseph Stalin and his ideas,” Will explained,
“He was terrible,” Mallory said.
“Yes, Mommy has told us all about him,” Melanie said then put her hand to her mouth. “Oops, I forgot. The mommy just slipped out.”
“That’s alright, honey, I think you had that one coming,” Lexi said as she patted Melanie’s hand.
“What can we do?” Darcy asked.
“Stay together and give each other support and hope for the best,” Will said.
“That’s it?” Mallory said.
“Does anyone have any better ideas?” Will asked.
“No, I guess not,” Darcy said and they ate in silence before returning to the couch and the news.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“You should put the gun down and cooperate with me,” Kulagin said to Ellen.
“Never.”
“I’d like to have you as a tool but I have other options.”
“Then use them,” Ellen said.
“I hesitate because it puts the game at the end with no middle ground for negotiations and a give and take.”
“President Deniken and I have already given and taken.”
“To what end?”
“The Ukraine stays out of NATO and The Crimea is returned to The Ukraine.”
“No!”
“That’s the deal.”
“And, that’s why you’re a prisoner.”
“Of course, I can see that but even if a bogus deal was reached that let Russia keep The Crimea, once we were out of here it would be void.”
“You are right, Madam President and that’s why it is necessary to take things a step further,” Kulagin said with a grin.
“Against my better judgement I’m going to ask what.”
“I’ll simply call my man at Kapustin Yar and start launching missiles.”
“If you don’t get what you want then you start WWIII?”
“The missiles will start flying, indeed.”
“You’re blackmailing us with millions of innocent lives,” Sergei said.
“Who’s innocent?” Kulagin asked.
“Just about everyone except you and your murdering cronies,” Ellen answered.
“Keep pontificating, Madam President, at least everyone in this room can hear you.” There was a pause and Kulagin looked around then called over his men and whispered something to them. It was in Russian but Tatiana could not hear and neither could any of the people with Deniken.
“Last chance, Madam President.”
“Don’t give into him,” Sergei said.
“I’m not. I won’t be forced into something by the likes of him.” Kulagin took out his cell and spoke to someone in Russian then put it away. Sergei was wide-eyed and pale.
“What did he say?” Ellen asked.
“He just ordered a missile fired at New York City.”
* * *
“Yes, Comrade,” Igor Radinsky said from Kapustin Yar and moved to the control panel. “This is for you Comrade Stalin,” and he pushed a button then sat back and grinned as the unmistakable sound and feel of a missile being launched swept through the complex.
“What did you do, Radinsky?” Svetlov said as he sat slumped in a chair with a bullet in him.
“Oh, hello, Captain. I forgot about you. Well, in answer to your question. I just launched a missile at New York City.” Colonel Azarov and his crew rushed to the door of the control room.
“Radinsky, what have you done?” Azov shouted.
“Hello, Colonel. I just fired a good morning missile at New York City. I think this will dwarf that little event on September 11, 2001, don’t you think”
“You fool, this could be WWIII if the Americans respond.”
“I know that, Captain, and so does Comrade Kulagin.”
“So, this is it. The end of the world?”
“Sure, looks like it,” Igor said then leaned back and laughed.
* * *
“Sir, we have a launch detection from Kapustin Yar,” Jerry Fillmore said as he ran to General Zumwalt’s desk.
“How many?”
“One.”
“Just one?”
“Yes sir.”
“Deke, what do you make of that?”
“I don’t know, sir, but we need to send up fighters,’ Deke said.
“Do it.” Deke called and ordered fighters to intercept and shoot down the missile.
“Take us to DEFCON One and prepare to launch on my command. Get me General Ledger in Alaska…Tommy, get everything you have in the air and take them to the fail-safe point. They’ve launched a missile. Yes, you heard me. This is it, Tommy…yeah good luck.”
“Deke do you have the pilots on the horn?”
“Yes, sir, they have it on radar and are waiting for a visual. They have it now it’s descending. They’re firing missiles and they have multiple hits. The missile is wobbling and headed straight down in the ocean. It went under, sir.”
“Good job. Now, Deke tell command to keep fresh jets in the air around New York and Washington. Call in planes from the Midwest to strengthen the coast.’
“Yes sir.”
“Sir, we were lucky this time,” Jerry said.
“We need a little luck in any operation, Sergeant.”
“Yes, I know that, sir but my point is they didn’t arm until the last minute. The next time they may arm coming back into the atmosphere. Then when the missile is shot down it’ll detonate a hydrogen warhead.
“Comrade, the missile was shot down and did not detonate,” Kolchevski said to Kulagin who turned with a scowl and took out his phone.
“Radinsky, it was shot down. Arm the next one right out of descent and send it to Washington DC.”
“The President’s family are in the Whitehouse,” Jozette said to Andy, Justin and Belinda. “Dave, come here.”
“Yes.”
“The missile is headed for the capital. How sa
fe are the people in the Whitehouse?” Jozette asked.
“They may be in the bunker,” Dave said.
“How safe is that?”
“From a hydrogen bomb? I’m not sure anyone is safe anywhere in the city and a few miles outside the city as well.”
* * *
“Okay, now I get to send a gift to the capital of the USA,” Igor said as he launched another missile. The same shutter went through the complex and the missile could be heard rocketing upward.
“You’re a monster, Radinsky,” Svetlov said through his coughs.
“What do you care, you haven’t long to live anyway.”
“I know but I’d like to think there will be a world for everyone else.”
“Too late for that, I think.”
* * *
“General Zumwalt, sir, we have another launch detection,” Jerry Fillmore said.
“One?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Deke.”
“They’re on their way sir, an additional twelve fighters.”
“Good.”
“Sir?” Deke asked.
“What?”
“Shouldn’t you call the Whitehouse?”
“Get them on the horn.” Deke handed the phone to the general.
“This is Zumwalt at NORAD. Madam Acting President, there’s a hydrogen warhead headed your way. We’re going to try and shoot it down but we can’t guarantee anything. You need to be in the best and safest location. I’ll keep this line open. I have to go now. The missile will be appearing over Washington soon. Yes, Ma’am, so do I.”
“The fighters have a visual and are firing, sir.”
“I assume they know if it detonates, they’ll all be wiped out.”
“They know that, sir.” Deke listened to the chatter from the pilots.
“What’s happening?” General Zumwalt asked.
“A lot of chatter, sir…it seems they’ve hit the missile but it didn’t explode. It’s off course and is headed over the city and into the interior of Virginia. The capital is safe so far. Two planes are following at a distance with radar. Oh! It’s down and has detonated.”