by Mark Spaid
“Where?”
“Over the Blue Rudge Mountains in Southern Virginia.”
“Madam Acting President, the missile landed in Southern Virginia.”
“Did it detonate?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Dear God. Okay I need to get troops and medical people in there to try and salvage the situation. Let me know if they fire any more missiles. We may have to retaliate if it happens again.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” General Zumwalt handed the phone to Deke and sat down at his station.
“Sir.”
“Deke, this could be the beginning of the end. If we get hit again, she may order a full launch.”
“Well, we’re prepared for this. That’s what we do every day.”
“Yeah, that’s what scares me. Get me General Ledger. Tommy, yeah one detonated over Southern Virginia. Our fighters hit it and it veered off course and missed the capital. I talked to Jensen and she may order a full strike if we get hit again. Get ready to send all of your bombers…I hope so, good luck, Tommy.”
* * *
“Comrade, the missile was deflected away from Washington. It landed in Southern Virginia,” Kolchevsky said.
“Did it detonate?”
“Yes.”
“Good, I’ll call another strike and maybe send four or five this time.” He called Radinsky on his cell.
“That’s too bad, Comrade,” Radinsky said. “Yes, I have five all ready and aimed at Washington. Yes, Comrade.”
“Your boss, I take it. I guess he is determined to end the world today.”
“He is and I’m going to be the lucky guy to do it.” Igor readied for launch as he double checked the coordinates. “Here we go.” But he never hit the buttons. A large block of wood, a stool actually came crashing down on Igor’s head and he went down on the floor out cold. Svetlov quickly opened the doors and men poured in followed by Colonel Azarov.
“Well done, Captain. Get an ambulance here as quick as possible.” Svetlov sat down hard in a chair holding his side where he’d been shot. First aid was administered, which consisted of a tight bandage to stop the bleeding.
“Sir, we need to get the word out that we are in control again,” Sergeant Yaselov said.
“Call the television station,” Azarov said.
“Are you serious sir?”
“Normally, I wouldn’t do this and I could be broken out of the service for it but we need this to get out to the world as fast as possible. Tell them to send a crew and they can come into the control room.”
“Yes, sir.” The call was made. Kelchak worked quickly to take the missiles off launch mode.
“How are we, Kelchak?” Colonel Azarov asked.
“We’re fine, sir. All missiles are disarmed. We’re back to a state of readiness and that’s all.”
“Well done, Lieutenant.” Radinsky was handcuffed and shackled then taken to a room where he was placed under armed guard.
“The television crew is here, sir,” Yaselov announced and Colonel Azarov waved them inside. Even the camera crew and the reporter were surprised at the access they were allowed.
“We need to start rolling as soon as possible to tell the world that we are in control of this site once again,” Colonel Azarov instructed.
“Are you ready, Sergei?” The female reporter asked.
“Yes.”
“Roll.”
“We’re on.”
“This is Katerina Laryanov for Moscow news Channel 9. We’re here at the Kapustin Yar missile site near Volgograd with the commanding officer Colonel Mikhail Azarov. Colonel what happened here?”
“In short, one of our officers took control of the facility after shooting another officer. He locked out any outsider and had the doomsday mechanism in place.”
“What is that, Colonel?”
“If the door is breeched by force then the missiles launch automatically.”
“That’s scary.”
“Yes, it is but I’m happy to say that the officer is now in custody thanks to Captain Svetlov Retzlarian, who despite being seriously wounded, overpowered the renegade officer and we got back control of the missile site. All missiles are off launch mode and the site is secure. I know two missiles were fired and one detonated. I can assure the American people and the world that it had nothing to do with the government of Russia.”
“You heard it here on channel 9. Kapustin Yar is back under the control of the Russian Air Force. Katerina Laryanov Channel 9 news.”
“We’re off,” a voice said.
“Thank you for doing this but you’ll have to leave now,” Mikhail said and the crew didn’t argue. Unlike America, where media can go just about any place they want, in Russia the media is controlled by the government and is used to being told to get lost or not show up at all. That is why when the opportunity was given to them these folks jumped at it. The television crew left and the control room was locked down.
“What do we do now, sir?” Yaselov asked.
“We wait for them to come and arrest me.” Yaselov and Kerchak looked at one another somewhat surprised but after a moment they knew that the colonel was right. (As it happened, Colonel Azarov received a commendation for his actions that was presented personally by Vladimir Berelenov, when he visited the Kapustin Yar site a few months later.)
* * *
“General, it’s on the news worldwide. Kapustin Yar is back in control of the Russians. They took out the guy who was launching the missiles,” Deke announced.
“Take us down to DEFCON Four.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Get me General Ledger on the line.”
“Here sir,” Deke said as he handed Walter the phone.
“Tommy, you heard? Yeah, I agree. Bring back the bombers. Keep a few in the air but land most of them. Let the Russians see we’re backing off. It was an accident, Tommy. I know the loss of life will be catastrophic but we can’t let it lead to the end of civilization. This was a group of nuts and not the Russian government…alright, stay close.”
“What about those guys who are holding the Presidents?” Deke asked.
“That’s out of our hands, Deke. What I’m worried about now is what happened in Virginia.” Deke looked at his commanding officer and nodded.
* * *
“Okay, Pavel let’s get them inside,” Yuri said as they pulled to the rear of the building that housed Deniken’s office. There was a guard inside the back door and Yuri recognized him as a long time Stalinist. “Look, I bet Melenkov is in Deniken’s office right now. That’s a cohort by the door. Pavel sneaked a look and nodded.”
“Tranquilizer?”
“Yeah, I’ll get his attention and you hit him.”
“Hey, buddy can you help me, I think I’m lost,” Yuri said as she went in the back door.
“Hold it right there,” the guard said and that was his last word as Pavel shot him in the neck. They moved the guard out of sight and took his gun.
“Check the elevator?” Yuri said and Pavel returned.
“One guy with his back turned.” Okay, let’s get the Prime Minister and his wife up to where he belongs. They carried them in and made their way around the corner to the elevator. The guard heard a noise and turned but Pavel shot him in the arm and he fell to his knees then on his side.
“Up we go,” and they went to the third floor and waited for the doors to open. Not knowing what to expect they had a stun gun and a pistol ready as the Prime Minister and his wife lay slumped in the corner of the elevator. The doors opened and Pavel peaked out.
“Two guys in front of the door to the Prime Minister’s office. They looked this way when the elevator dinged.”
“Freeze the doors and we’ll wait for them to investigate.” About thirty seconds later when no one got out of the elevator the two guards moved slowly. They cautiously looked into the elevator and saw five people lying in the floor.
“Help,” a muffled voice moaned. Yuri was on his side with his face on his arm. T
he guards looked at one another and put their weapons on their shoulders. In an instant Pavel shot one and Abram the other and both were out cold. Yuri didn’t want to leave a trail of dead bodies. They crawled to the office and saw Melenkov at the desk writing and he was alone. He was known to carry a gun and he knew how to use it. Yuri and Pavel stood up and walked to the door. It was all glass and when Melenkov recognized Yuri, who he knew to be his enemy, he drew his gun and fired. It shattered the glass but missed. Yuri didn’t wait and shot Melenkov twice in the chest.
“We need to get the guards under lock and key, sir,”
“Yes, call Adamsky and Lvov. We can trust them. The two arrived and took the unconscious guards to detention in the militia building. After an hour Berelenov and his wife finally, woke up and found themselves in the seat of power, literally. Yuri called a newspaper man he trusted and he came over. “How long before you can get this on the wire for the whole world to know?”
“Just as soon as I get back to the office.”
“Good, get going and thanks.”
“Now what, sir?”
“We stand guard. Get Adamsky and Lvov back here and call anyone you can trust.”
“Yes, sir.” In all, they scraped together eight men who were loyal to Yuri and Deniken/Berelenov. Together with those in the building who were loyal to Deniken they had plenty.
* * *
“Comrade, I’m getting a news story from Moscow,” Kolchevsky said.
“What?” Kolchevsky’s shoulders slumped.
“Melenkov is dead and Berelenov is in Deniken’s office. Also, Kapustin Yar is back in control of the air force. Radinsky is in custody.” Kulagin’s face reddened and he clenched his fists in anger.
“The game’s up, Kulagin,” Ellen said.
“The game is never up for me.”
“No, I suppose not but your dreams of conquest and the return of the Soviet Union are gone.”
“We’ll see but one thing is for sure; neither you or Deniken will walk out of here alive.”
“I think we knew that as soon as you arrived,” Ellen said.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“What are you hearing?” Valerie asked Rita Fitzgerald.
“Melenkov is dead and Berelenov is in charge pending what happens with Deniken.”
“And President Lexington,” Perry added.
“Nothing yet,” Rita said.
“Valerie, we’re getting first reports about the Blue Ridge Mountain detonation site,” Marty said.
“It can’t be good of course,” Valerie said.
“It’s terrible,” Marcus Washington said. I’ve got men on the scene or at least as close as they can get.”
“Should we send in the army to keep order and help with evacuation?” Valerie asked.
“Yes, this is too much for the National Guard,” Susan Rojas remarked. “I’ve already given the orders.”
“Good,” Valerie said. “Homeland Security needs to be there with medical services.”
“I’m on it, Ma’am. I have over a thousand people on their way and some are already there.”
“Any numbers on casualties?” Valerie asked.
“It’s early and it is a sparsely populated area but I think we can count on thousands dead, tens of thousands wounded and thousands with radiation sickness that will lead to death for many if not most of them.,” Homeland Security Director Sanghvi said.
“What about the radiation? How vulnerable are our rescue workers?”
“Extremely vulnerable. They’re all wearing protective equipment,” Susan replied.
“The press will probably blame me and maybe that’s for the best.”
“I doubt if they blame you, Valerie,” Marty said.
“Oh, they’ll blame me alright. This was in the cards when I took over. I just hope the President comes back safely and soon. I don’t want any part of this job despite my previous ambition. Right now, all I want to do is to leave this building, go back to Michigan and disappear.” No one said a word, largely because they believed her.
* * *
“We’re flying over the Blue Ridge Mountains here in Virginia and seeing the aftermath of the detonation of a hydrogen warhead. It is beyond description but I will try. You can see from the camera but seeing in person is even more unbelievable.” The mountain is laid bare like it was shaved by Earth movers. There were thousands of trees here yesterday but it is just white ash that is covering the mountain and floats in the air. The mushroom cloud by all accounts went over ten thousand feet upward. It has come back to the Earth and as we look there are fires everywhere. The forest on the mountain that was not wiped out during the detonation is on fire. The whole mountain is on fire and it stretches about forty miles south and north. From what we’ve been told the missile was headed for Washington DC but rockets fired from U.S. fighters diverted the missile and it landed and detonated here in the mountains of Virginia. We’ve been told that anyone within a twenty-mile radius is almost certainly dead and up to thirty miles the loss of life will be great though perhaps not one hundred percent. This is Callie Ambrose returning you to our anchor desk in Richmond.”
“Thank you, Callie. Incredible destruction, Stan,” Martha Reynolds said.
“It is Martha; it’s the nightmare we’ve all had about nuclear war and now here it is.”
“It’s hard to take it in but here in studio we have Dr. Wilson Ramling, from the Atomic Energy Commission to tell us more.”
“Thank you, Stan and Callie.”
“Dr. Ramling, what can we expect in the next few days and weeks?” Stan asked.
“Well, to be blunt many people will never be found because there is nothing to find. There will be many bodies in deplorable condition. As the weeks pass people who survived but were too close will die of radiation exposure.”
“What about the area itself. When can it be inhabited?”
“In a word…never.”
“How wide will that area be?”
“It’s hard to say but to be safe about a fifty-mile radius.”
“So, a one-hundred-mile diameter circle will be off limits to anyone?”
“Exactly.”
“Thank you Dr. Ramling,” Stan said.
“I guess the commonwealth of Virginia will never be the same,” Callie said. A commercial break came by and they leaned back in their chairs.
“Thanks again Dr. Ramling,” Stan said.
“I wish I had better news but I’m afraid there’s not much good that will come out of this.”
“No, that’s for sure,” Callie said. Ramling left and Stan and Callie went for a cup of coffee.
“I never thought this day would happen or I thought I’d be wiped out with the first bomb.”
“Me too, it feels funny to be reporting on this. I mean I’ve seen the movies about a nuclear attack and the aftermath but to be a part of it, is very scary,” Callie remarked
“Apparently the Russians have control of the missile site but what if it happens again somewhere else. What if North Korea or Iran start launching missiles at us. We could be looking at this sort of thing on a much larger scale,” Stan posed.
“I think the world may be headed for a period of crazies on the loose.”
“I think we’re already there.”
* * *
“So, now what?” Ellen asked Kulagin. He’d been mumbling to himself in Russian. Tatiana had been trying to listen and she did hear the word martyr and that frightened her. Kulagin heard Ellen and turned to look at her. She no longer had the gun pointed at Deniken. She held it in her hand pointed at the floor.
“Now what? Now what, you asked me? No woman talks to me that way.”
“Well maybe they should have a long time ago.”
“You and Deniken dead will be enough for me today. Someday someone will be able to continue Comrade Stalin’s work.”
“I hope not, Russia is just now getting to a level of sophistication. No offense, Mr. President?”
“None taken
, Madam President.”
“I am offended,” Kulagin said.
“Get over yourself,” Ellen said.
“Madam President please stop aggravating him,” Trent said as he knelt in front of her. He couldn’t stand with a bullet in his leg but he was doing his best to protect her.
“I’m not afraid of him. He’s like a big dog that barks because he wants attention.”
“Yes, I’m the big dog and I bark but I also bite.”
“Do your worst, I’m sick and tired of bullies like you and so is the whole damn world for that matter.” Kulagin was getting mad again.
“Kolchevsky, finish them all.”
“Yes, Comrade.” Tatiana was ready and when she heard that she knew there was a slim window of opportunity. Kulagin was a good ideologue if there is such a thing as a good one and he was indeed a cold-blooded killer as he had intimated and shown but he really wasn’t a good kidnapper because the first thing you do is check to see if your captives have any weapons. Tatiana who always had a weapon, had two knives in her waist and despite her wounded shoulder had crawled as close to Kulagin as she could. Kolchevsky was right next to Kulagin.
“I’ll deal with the leaders,” Kulagin said and with that he aimed his rifle at Ellen. She didn’t wait and fired a shot striking Kulagin in the leg. He returned fire and struck her in the left arm and she fell to the floor. Trent covered Ellen and he was shot by Kulagin in the lower back. At the same time Tatiana lunged and stabbed Kolchevsky in the heart and she grabbed his automatic weapon and shot Manatov several times. Kulagin smashed her head with the butt of his gun and she fell on the floor. Lanewsky was looking for a shot and as he did Andy and Justin tackled him and the gun slid away. Jozette picked it up and then they heard gunfire in the hallway. Kulagin figured that security forces had finally arrived and he had one chance to be immortal. He aimed at Deniken and fired. The Russian President went down with a bullet in his stomach. “Now, Madam President, let’s end this charade once and for all. He raised his rifle and took aim. Ellen crawled out from under Trent and stood with hands on her hips and her jaw thrust outward.