“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 whatever 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.”