I slowly raise my hands.
It’s a GRU Special Forces guy with a bandage on his nose.
Uh ok, I think this was the guy I punched in the nose earlier!
… I’m not asking him!
“Walk,” said the Russian in broken English.
So I slowly walk.
Once again, I notice there is much activity on the reactor floor as they pack up about fifty of those large, black suitcases.
I also notice one of those beautiful Russian women in an evening gown, full makeup and hair flowing walk sexily toward me.
I’ve seen this routine before.
As she nears me, she stops and speaks in Russian to the soldier.
The soldier looks just for a second at what this drop dead gorgeous woman is pointing to when she clocks him in the face with the bottom of her clenched palm and grabs his gun.
Confused, looking at her saying,
“Jennifer?”
“Call me Jen. My hobbies are piano, water polo and driving submarines. Let’s go!”
All that comes out of my open mouth is:
“Jen?”
I’ve turned into a big hunk of yellowcake.
“Men! So stupid!” she says as she’s already heading to the main floor by way of an elevator. She has to stop and bring me back to reality.
“C’mon!”
I come to my senses and follow her just staring at her high heels like dog being led by a master.
“Put your tongue back in your mouth, big boy.”
She then smiles, “So you like the look?”
“I, I, I, do,” was all I could form in words.
She puts her finger over my lips and looks to be in a perfume commercial so she plays it for all it’s worth.
Jen, whispers, saying, “Shhh! Don’t say anything.”
The elevator door opens and we walk a few feet into the control room.
The room is filled with no less than 20 huge, flat, touch screen monitors.
She carefully looks over everything then goes to a computer terminal and begins typing.
“Good! Someone didn’t log off.”
No one can see them, as the room has no windows. Only many, many, flat screen monitors cover all the walls.
Jen, while typing, asks, “So did you see all of the plutonium 239?”
What?
“Ya, they’ve got enough 239 here to blow up every city in North America.”
“What are you doing?”
Jennifer intently working on a computer says, “I’m forcing many radioactive nuclei of uranium atoms to each split into two fast-moving smaller nuclei in the reactor core. This is nuclear fission and it happens in picoseconds, a trillionth of a second. By overloading the fission process I’m creating a chain reaction. Bombarding the nuclei with high-energy neutrons.”
I didn’t understand a single word she just said. I didn’t care. I’m still staring at her beauty.
“If I do this right, I will force a massive amount of energy in the radioactive uranium nuclei, releasing higher energy neutrons and gamma rays. The fission also releases kinetic energy in the smaller nuclei, about one million electron volts per nuclei! Once that first uranium nuclei is fissioned the chain reaction begins and…”
I sarcastically say, “Sorry I asked. Just hurry!”
Jen ignores me and dials up the power to overload conditions.
I become convinced this is a not a good idea,
“Are you sure this mountain will contain all the radiation?”
“It’s contained the uranium radiation for millions of years. I’m trying to minimize the blast,” says an intense looking Jen.
I’m impressed,
“When fuel cladding is breached with Cesium-137 and Krypton-85, it will leach into the coolant over there and that’s gonna make…”
I’m not paying attention as I’m worried and looking out the door. I finish Jen’s sentence,
“One big frickin’ explosion?”
“Ya!” Jen stands up and runs out the door.
I run after her stopping her,
“Wait. I can’t leave the doctor or Al. Also, I tied up Ruddy and Katrina.”
“Go get the Russian doctor and Al. The others? We don’t have time for.”
We both stand up and walk over to where all the scientists can now see us.
Everyone, still in NBC suits, including Doctor Vladimir Peskov, freezes for a second staring at us.
I look at Jen not in any protective clothing and think:
Well, there goes a couple more years off my life!
Alarm-bells begin sounding and red lights flash.
I start yelling in Russian the only word I think I know,
“Beak… Beak…”
The scientists continue standing frozen in place, staring at me, so I spray bullets into the air yelling,
“RUN!”
That, they understand! They flee toward the closest vein.
Jen grabs the machine gun and begins smashing the controls.
I ask her, “So what do we do now, soldier?”
Jen takes off her high heels then says,
“WE RUN!”
Russian Command Center
Bokan Mountain
Inside the Command Center, Russians feverously rush about as their reactor overload warning system continues to alert them about a meltdown. The general is on a computer and attempting to override the sabotage.
A Russian officer looking worried says, “We can’t fix this from here, sir.”
Zelin speaks to his next in command,
“Open up the mountain. Get everyone down there now and fix this or we’re all dead!”
A very young and very worried young soldier walks up to Zelin who’s not paying any attention to him.
“Uh, sir?”
Zelin barely acknowledges his existence and doesn’t look at the kid while he continues working.
“Yes?”
“The president wants to speak with you.”
Zelin stops.
“Turn off all emergency alarms. Everyone atten-tion.”
All stand in the room at attention.
Zelin nods to the kid who then puts President Mironovich’s image on the large screen.
Zelin takes a big gulp wondering how he will explain all of this.
The Russian president appears on the large screen. He is not happy.
“Zelin you are relieved of command.”
Zelin interrupts, “Sir I would…
The president continues, “You better destroy all evidence of everything there. If you make it out alive I have given the order to kill you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
The screen goes dark.
Zelin looks around at everyone.
After a very long pause, the general says,
“I don’t know who will do it but make it fast.”
No one moves a muscle.
The general then says,
“Let’s go. Send out the evacuation order.”
Flashing green lights now turn red and on the speaker system a woman’s voice says,
“Evakuirovat’, Evacuate, Evakuirovat’, Evacuate.”
Zelin stands there a moment before talking to his right hand man again,
“The Iranians will be waiting for us out there. We must be prepared.”
“Yes sir.”
Ruddy’s Room
Bokan Mountain
Jen and I run down the hall to Ruddy and Katrina’s room.
Jen says, “They must’ve captured Al and Tatiana.”
I respond, “I wouldn’t be so sure. They seem to know their way around.”
This time I try the door instead of kicking it down. Jen nods her approval as the door easily opens.
As we search the rooms, there is no sign of Ruddy or Katrina.
There are only big trails of duct tape everywhere.
“You used duct tape on them too?” asks Jen with a bit of disgust.
I ignore her.
“Let’s hope Al and Tatiana made it out alive.”
We gotta go now or we’ll not make it out alive,” says Jen.