“The president’s aide has a flesh wound and I removed the bullet from Little Wolf’s leg. He’ll be okay but he needs an antibiotic.”
“And the secret service guy?” Tatiana asked.
“Not so good,” Dave said softly. “He needs a hospital and soon.”
“Where are the others?” Warren asked.
“We don’t know; after separating we didn’t see them again,” Tatiana replied.
“I hear something,” Belinda said and there was a knock on the door.
“It’s me, Wilson.” Dave opened the door and Trent came in followed by Andy and Vladimir. Dave shut and locked the door.
“Is that all?” Dave asked and Trent nodded.
“Andy needs some first-aid and so does Vladimir,” Trent said and Dave sat in a chair next to Andy and examined the arm.
“Some skin and muscle damage but the bullet isn’t in there. I’ll bandage it and give you some pain killers. That’s all I can do.”
“I’ll take it and thanks,” Andy said as he leaned his head back. Dave looked at Vladimir’s arm.
“The bullet is still in there. Try not to exert yourself. A doctor should take it out whne we get out of here.”
“Way to be optimistic, Doctor,” Vladimir said.
“I’m not a doctor… just an EMT.”
“I know but today you are a doctor.” Dave nodded.
“Pavel, Abram, over here,” Yuri Petrovsky said softly from behind a tree. They were to meet in a park in a small community away from Moscow’s prying eyes.
“Yes, sir,” Pavel said.
“I have a car ready; we need to get going,” Yuri said and they climbed into the tiniest car any of them had ever seen. With their knees up to their chins they drove for an hour and stopped in the country down a dark lane hidden by trees.
“I take it there’s a plan?” Abram asked.
“Yes,” Yuri said but didn’t move from the driver’s seat.
“Well,” Abram said.
“Well what?”
“What’s the plan?” Pavel asked
“Oh, the plan, yes… we wait,” Yuri said.
“Comrade, we’re on the fifty-ninth floor. They must be on sixty,” Kolchevsky said as he stood holding an assault rifle.
“You must’ve known that’s where they’d end up,” Kulagin said.
“Yes, Comrade.”
“How many men did we lose?” Kolchevsky hesitated as he never liked to incur Kulagin’s wrath. “How many!” Kulagin snapped.
“Twelve that we know of and one of theirs.” Kulagin seethed as his breathing elevated and he clenched his fists and stared straight ahead.
“Get everyone here.” Kolchevsky moved quickly around the first floor and returned.
“Kolchevsky, Manatov, Lanewsky, Denisovitch, Ricekin and the rest of you; this is it. We all go up to the top. Bring the television equipment. We’re going to breach the door and televise to the world, showing them our hostages.”
“Yes, Comrade,” Kolchevsky said.
“It is for our fallen comrades!”
“Yes!” They all shouted.
“It is for Russia!”
“Yes!”
“It is for Comrade Stalin!”
“Yes, yes, yes!” They all shouted then charged up the stairs.
“Mr. Wilson, I have an idea,” Warren said and Trent listened.
“You can do this?”
“Yes, I have it all ready. I just need to tap in and turn it on,” Warren replied.
“Okay, do it.” Warren had been stringing wires over head for an hour as he had a plan to send the soon to be invaders a strong and deadly answer to the demands to open the door, which they all knew was coming.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention please,” Valerie said as she stood at the podium in the press room of the Whitehouse.
“I have nothing new on the whereabouts of the President. We have heard nothing so, don’t ask. I do have an announcement then I’ll take questions.” The reporters sat in silence and waited. “The cabinet has voted unanimously to invoke the Twenty-Fifth Amendment and place me in charge as acting President. I’ll take questions now.” Of course, everyone started shouting at once.
“Madam Speaker, what is your title?”
“Acting President.”
“Madam Acting President, what is being done to get the President back?”
“Every effort is being made to return the President and her entire party safely but as you know the Russian President is also being held hostage.”
“What about the Russian Prime Minister?”
“At this point he is incommunicado.”
“Is he being held hostage as well?”
“We don’t know.”
“Are there any military plans to get the President back?” A reporter asked.
“You know I can’t discuss that with anyone. Next question.”
“Was it your idea to take over?”
“Yes.” The room went silent as they were surprised at Valerie’s candor.
“Were there any reservations by cabinet members?”
“Of course, but in the end, it was decided that the country needed an executive in place until President Lexington returns.”
“And if President does not return then you’ll become the President?”
“You know the Constitution as well as anyone, Bob. What do you think?”
“Who is the Designated Survivor?”
“Gee, Margaret, I guess if I tell you that then I could also let you have all the NSA closed minutes for the last six months.” There was laughter.
“How do you feel about being elevated to acting president?”
“I hate it. That’s all for now,” Valerie said and left the room amid shouted questions that she ignored. Back in the situation room they took their seats except for Jonathan Red Cloud who was safely at his undisclosed location.
“Well done again, Valerie,” Marty said.
“Same here,” Rajesh Sanghvi said.
“Are you all serious?” Valerie asked, wondering if they were just brownnosing.
“No, we mean it. You were direct and clear. After all, President Lexington may not survive. We hope for the best but we have to be ready for the worst. You’re in place and if we get bad news, you’re President and there will be no power vacuum,” Susan Rojas stated.
“Jonathan has arrived safely?” Valerie asked.
“Yes,” Susan Rojas said.
“Good, now let’s pray for a miracle,” Valerie posed.
“I thought you were an agnostic?” Mohammed Aziz asked with a grin.
“I am but today I think we could use some help from a higher power.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Let’s go,” Kulagin said and he and seven men got off the elevator on the sixtieth floor and found the door to the maintenance room.
“This is it,” a man said and moved quickly with another to try and force the door.
“No!” Kulagin yelled but it was too late. Both men were lit up by high voltage electricity and began smoking. It was a dreadful sight and they dropped to the floor dead. The lights flickered in the hallway and went out. Power all over the floor was gone. Warren had wired the door from the direct line with about a thousand volts and two hundred amps. To put it simply; that is a death sentence.
“Comrade,” Kolchevsky said as he watched and smelled two men smoldering on the floor.
“Stand back,” Kulagin said as he shot off the knob and lock with his weapon. Everyone had hit the floor upon Trent’s orders because he knew when Kulagin’s men died and the power went out he’d react forcefully and with anger. The emergency lights came on finally and lit up the room and the hallway. As they all lay on the floor, men came in the room, seven of them followed by Kulagin who stood in the middle looking around. “Get up, all of you,” and everyone got to their feet. Kulagin nodded with his head and two of his men went back into the hall and closed the door.