“Yes,” replied the bewildered president.
Dan cruised through the channels until he found CNN. He watched, and everyone watched with him. The sports went by, then the weather, and then the news came up, and the lead story was on the shaky stock market.
“It’s not here.”
“What?”
“The explosion. No one knows about it. It’s not here.”
The comments were confusing to everyone, but mostly to the president. “Of course it’s not on the news. He put the missile in an unpopulated area. Not that many people in Russia know what happened. The government suppressed the rest.”
“Exactly.” Dan smiled. “Ochinkin knows.” Things were becoming clear in his mind.
“Excuse me, Dan, but what the fuck are you trying to say?” The president was getting impatient. “Who do you think I’ve been on the phone with for the last four hours? Convincing him that we had nothing to do with their problem.” This wasn’t entirely true, and the president knew it.
“He wanted Ochinkin’s attention, Mr. President. He could care less about the rest of the world. This explosion was his wake-up call. He knew exactly where to explode a nuclear bomb so it would get Ochinkin’s attention without panicking the world.”
The room went silent as everyone mulled over the thought and tried to figure out why. Sukudo was the one to ask. “Why?”
“I don’t think there’s any way of knowing until he resurfaces. I’d try to stop him immediately. He’s dangerous. If I could, I’d blow him out of the water right now.”
Sukudo fidgeted in his chair. Again the room was silent.
“We could have the War Eagle sink her, right?”
“Yes,” answered Sukudo. “If we knew where she went. We can’t keep tabs on our subs very well after they have sailed. Jim has to call in for orders for us to find him.”
“Well, he’s at least on a schedule then. When he checks in, give him the order.”
The president sat upright. “Our good Captain Hickman is not on a schedule. He is out there on his own with no support or clear-cut mission. He’s going to notify us when it’s convenient. It’s as bad as Stemovich, except that our navy gave him his sub.” The president was being sarcastic because he wanted to make sure that Kenneth got the message that there were elements in his tactics that were very sloppy. One of them was sending the War Eagle out with the vague order to locate the sub. Then what?
“We’re cut off?” Dan echoed what the rest of the room had recognized before he even arrived. “Then our only hope is that the Russian Navy or the War Eagle gets to him before he reaches his objective. Is Ochinkin aware of the presence of the War Eagle?”
The president shook his head. “No, and he won’t. My impression from the conversations we had was that the Russian Navy was going to handle the problem. It was something of a matter of saving face on his part. So I didn’t tell him.”
“What if the War Eagle has to fire on the Saratov?”
“I think that situation, if it came to that, could be overlooked, considering the implications. Plus, we don’t want the Russian Navy taking potshots at our sub. It’s best not to tell them that the War Eagle is out there.” The president was unsure in his comment, and everyone knew it.
Another voice in the room spoke up. “Let’s work on the objective since we can’t do anything militaristically.” It was the first time the secretary of state had uttered a word. Dan found him to be a lofty man who contemplated much before making any decisions. A good counterbalance for the president. “After all, we have basically come to the conclusion that Andri Stemovich is not a madman, but rather a man with a well-thought-through plan. Obviously he has help. Where?”
It was a very astute observation for a man who didn’t have all the details. Embarrassed, Dan stood there wondering why he had never thought of it. “Good question,” he blurted. “If Levi Carp were here, he might be able to answer it. He is on the Russian side of operations.”
No one had a comment. After a minute, Sukudo raised his head. “Maybe we should ask what he wants to accomplish. If the first missile was a tap on the shoulder, what will he want or do next?”
The crusty old army general was the next to speak. “Gentlemen. It seems that his goals are not strategic or militaristic. Rather they seem to be political. In military terms, he has done nothing to acquire anything of any value other than the sub. That he is using as his tool.”
“If it’s political, then it has to be Moscow. It only makes sense. Can he strike at Moscow from the north?” Things had begun to click in Dan’s head again.
“Very easily,” replied Sukudo.
“Is anything happening in Moscow?”
“There’s a demonstration.” The voice came from the door. Dan wheeled to see Levi standing there. He looked well composed and slithered into the chair next to the president. “Levi Carp,” he said, introducing himself. “I oversee most of the Russian matters. CIA for those of you I don’t know.”
“What have you got?” said the president.
“In thirty-six hours, Red Square will be filled with over one hundred thousand people or more, demonstrating against the government and crying for the old rule to return — and I mean old. They don’t even want to see Gorbachev. They want someone extremely hardline. Perhaps a military leader.”
“Ochinkin said nothing about that.”
Levi gazed at the president. “Then he didn’t tell you that he has a well-trained tank battalion sitting on the outskirts of Moscow.”
“No.”
“I wonder why not, Mr. President? I would suppose that they are his insurance, to keep him in power.”
“That may be, Mr. Carp.” The president didn’t enjoy Levi’s attitude. “But we need Ochinkin to remain in charge. That’s in our best interests.”
The knot had returned to Dan’s stomach. “I don’t believe Stemovich orchestrated a demonstration to coincide with him threatening Moscow. I do believe that Stemovich is setting himself up for the ‘Big Red Chair.’ That tank battalion is probably Stemovich’s thugs. The demonstration is just icing on the cake.”
Levi turned to Dan. Though they had to appear that they were working together, there was venom in his tone. “There is nothing to support that conclusion.”
Dan hated what Levi had to say. “It’s the only conclusion,” he replied.
“Stemovich will give the ultimate demand. Surrender or die.” Of this Levi was sure.
Dan silently disagreed. “What happened to Kuwait, Levi?”
“I don’t think they’re a player anymore.”
Interesting choice of words, thought Dan.
Going home that next morning was hard to do for Sharon. She didn’t want to get out of her car when she saw that Beth had not left for work. What was she going to say? How did she feel now? It wasn’t going to be a pleasant meeting.
The house was quiet when she entered. Up the stairs and into the kitchen, she looked for Beth. It was silent. In the back of her mind, she knew Beth was in the bedroom, yet she still went through the house before opening that door. Eventually it became unavoidable.
The door creaked to reveal a spotless room and a well-made bed. The curtains were open, and light poured in the windows, giving the area a pristine appearance. Beth stood in the corner in a black leather dominatrix outfit. A leather whip dangled at her side.
“I think you have been a bad little girl,” she said.