“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.