Falcon Down Read online

  “Speak to us, Comrade, what shall we do?” A man asked.

  “Yes, Comrades, I will speak to you tonight. We are at a crossroads. Our nation is in danger of being compromised of being trivialized out of existence. He would not allow that,” Kulagin said as he turned and pointed to the very large portrait on the wall behind him. There was loud cheering and clapping. Our beloved Comrade knew how to deal with those who would give away Russian soil. And, Comrades, make no mistake about it, once soil has been Russian it must always stay Russian!” He pounded the podium and there was more clapping, foot stomping and cheering. “Our comrade made the Soviet Union and expanded our sphere to include Eastern Europe. Now, since the appeasers have taken over and the party has been ignored, Russia is weak and the President of Russia is meeting the American President to further weaken Russia. That we cannot allow!” He pounded again on the podium and some of the people stood and thrust their fists in the air with shouts of down with President Denikin, down with the traitors. The noise died down and they all sat down again. “Comrades, we have a mission to fulfill for our beloved Comrade who once ruled the glorious Soviet Union. We have to restore the Soviet Union to its original borders. We must reconstitute the great Soviet Union!” More cheers and shouting. “Comrades, the time for talking is through, it is time for action. The central committee will meet tomorrow night to plan that course of action. When we meet again, we will have begun the restoration of our great Soviet nation. To the future, Comrades!” Kulagin shouted and the place went nuts for a few minutes as their leader turned and saluted the large portrait of Joseph Stalin.

  * * *

  “You see what I mean?” Ronnie Stemweiss said as he and his friend Chip McCarthy camped outside the window of the meeting.

  “If they catch us, we’re dead. These guys mean business and they’re all armed.”

  “I know, what kind of a story would it be if they were all gentle souls?” Chip rolled his eyes.

  “One we could live to talk about someday.”

  “You have to be bold, Chip, if you want anything in this world.”

  “What I want is to get out of here alive.”

  “Relax, we’ll be fine.”

  “How did we get here exactly; I can’t remember now?” Chip asked snidely.

  “My editor wanted a hot story and this was it.”

  “Your editor?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ronnie your editor is your partner. You have a four-page weekly with a circulation of about six or seven hundred.”

  “We started small but we’re growing,” Ronnie reminded Chip.

  “Just how did you pay for this trip for you and me?”

  “Cal cashed in his college money.”

  “Then he bravely stayed back home while you and I are thrown into the fire.”

  “Of course, that’s the fun of journalism.” Chip shook his head and sighed.

  “And, why exactly am I so indispensable to this operation?”

  “You’re my photographer.”

  “Yes, and as I remember, you forgot to bring the camera.”

  “An unfortunate oversight on my part,” Ronnie admitted.

  “Which makes it difficult to take any pictures of people, buildings or anything else.”

  “Of course, but you’re my eyes and ears. A second pair of such. What I see and hear you will also and you’ll be my witness to history.”

  “What history?”

  “That’s what we’ll find out.”

  “When?”

  “Tomorrow night.”

  * * *

  “You know, sleeping in a barn wasn’t exactly what you promised me,” Chip said to Ronnie as they found a position behind the meeting hall where the Central Committee of the Volgograd Communist Party was meeting. Volgograd was the name given to the City of Stalingrad after Stalin died. You see, Joseph Stalin made a number of enemies. He killed most of them during his twenty-five-year rule but there were still plenty of them left over. His name was vilified by the people who survived him and his excesses were given an official apology by his successor, Nikita Khrushchev. The Stalinists seemed to gravitate to Volgograd as a rebirthing place for their revered leader’s memory.

  “And I apologize for that. I’ll make it up to you when we get back to the U.S.”

  “Okay, so, what do we do now?”

  “We wait until they start then find a place to listen to what’s going on inside.” The members arrived and the place filled quickly. There were twenty-five members of the Central Committee plus Kulagin. He arrived last in a limo.

  “I see someone has a high opinion of themselves,” Chip said as Kulagin made a rock star entry. The meeting lasted for an hour and the whole time Ronnie and Chip looked for a place to spy on this band of lunatics. Finally, they found a side entrance that’d been hidden by bushes. They snuck inside and were behind the speaker’s platform as Kulagin was bellowing platitudes and threats. In the end he said they’d capture the two leaders and extort the two countries for what they wanted. There were shouts of approval and the meeting broke up.

  “What does he mean extort the two countries?” Ronnie asked.

  “I don’t know but I don’t like the sound of it, especially capturing the two leaders. He means kidnaping the president of Russia and the United States.” They went out the way they came in and watched for anyone who might be snooping in the back, just walking or smoking a cigarette. If they were seen they were as good as dead. Chip was right these men were all killers.

  “I think we can get to those woods and wait,” Ronnie said and they started running.

  “Stop!!” a man yelled but Ronnie and Chip never broke stride. A shot rang out and Ronnie cried out in pain as he went down. Chip stopped to help his friend.

  “Get going, I’m dead.”

  “No,” Chip said.

  “Get out of here and tell someone what we heard.”

  “But, Ronnie…”

  “Move!” Chip took a breath and started running in zig zag as shots rang out. One whizzed by his left ear and one kicked up dirt in his face but he never slowed. He made it to the trees and kept going through the woods. He could hear people running behind but they had no good shot in the dark in the dense woods. Chip had run track in high school and he was good. Also, he had kept running since graduation and was in excellent shape. Finally, his pursuers stopped as they were like most Russians… addicts of cigarettes and Vodka. When Chip stopped ten minutes later, he looked back from behind a tree and saw no one after him. He got his breathing under control and pondered his situation. What were his good choices? None. What were his choices period? He wasn’t sure but none of them were very good. He could sleep in another barn…no thanks. A park bench? Hmmm. A local shelter? Maybe. He had little money so a hotel was out of the question. He’d wander around all night and try and stay out of sight. That was his best option? Sadly, yes.

  * * *

  “We couldn’t catch the second guy, Comrade,” a man said to Kulagin. They were standing in the parking lot of the meeting hall.

  “How much does he know?” Kulagin asked.

  “I’m not sure, the first one died before we could question him.”

  “You are head of security are you not?” Kulagin asked.

  “Yes, the man said with his head down.

  “How could you let this happen?”

  “I am sorry, Comrade, it won’t happen again.”

  “No, I should hope not.” Kulagin looked at another man standing to the right and nodded. The head of security saw this and his shoulders sagged. Kulagin got in his limo and left. Two men took the head of security away in a small car and he was never seen or heard of again. That is how Comrade Stalin would’ve dealt with such a failure.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “So, this is the guest list,” Dave said as she studied the letter written to Justin from the White House.

  “That’s it” Justin said as he sat on Andy and Jozette’s patio drinking iced tea.

  �
�Wow, the Holy Ones,” Will said looking over Dave’s shoulder.

  “Will,” Lexi said firmly.

  “Just kidding,” Will said.

  “I’d stay here with you guys if I could,” Andy said.

  “You don’t like the President?” Lexi asked.

  “No, that’s not it and I was flattered to be asked but it’s Justin they want. He’s the writer, I’m just a reporter.”

  “You write too,” Tatiana said.

  “Yeah, but not like him. He gets the stories with meat and the ones with human interest and don’t think I’m jealous. He deserves it. There is a talented writer in that chair,” Andy said pointing to Justin who grinned.

  “Don’t encourage him, Andy, I have to live with his ego and there’s barely enough room in the house for the rest of us,” Belinda said and they all laughed.

  “Now, that’s funny,” Warren said. He and Ariel were on the list but as usual at the cookouts they kept to themselves and stayed quiet. Unless the topic was physics then he was on point.

  “Let’s see, here is the roll call of honor,” Dave said as Tatiana rolled her eyes. “Shall I read the letter?” There were groans and Justin nodded for Dave to continue. “The persons of Justin Weaver, Belinda Fanelli, Andy Kline, Jozette Kline, David Swanzy, Tatiana Swanzy, Little Wolf Kline, Julieta Rodriguez-Kline, Warren Peabody and Ariel Peabody are cordially invited to join me on my trip to The Ukraine aboard Air Force One on June 16 through June 22. Signed, Yours Truly, Ellen Lexington, President of the United States.”

  “I’m impressed,” Will said.

  “You know, Dave, you could’ve spared all of us the drama, especially since Will and Lexi weren’t invited,” Tatiana remarked.

  “Sorry, you guys I wasn’t thinking,” Dave said looking in Will and Lexi’s direction.

  “Forget it, we’re very happy to remain here,” Lexi said.

  “Me too,” Will added. “Given our track record you guys could end up on the moon.” They all laughed at that. Never have a group of reporters and their friends embarked on so many routine stories and vacations and ended up fighting for their lives.

  “And, Will’s back has been acting up lately,” Lexi added.

  “It has?” Ariel asked.

  “Yes, that misaligned disc gives me fits if I move the wrong way.”

  “The girls will keep you busy. You might get misaligned just trying to keep up with them,” Julieta remarked and there was laughter again.

  “Why did they pick a group of reporters, et al from Bloomington, Indiana?” Will asked.

  “From what I was told, the President had read some articles that Justin had written and his book on Stanley Burnham,” Belinda answered.

  “Her staff did research and found that Andy and I were partners and Jo helped on stories. They found out about Dave and Tatiana, Warren and Ariel and of course Little Wolf and Julieta. And, here we are,” Justin related.

  “What do you mean they found out about us?” Ariel asked.

  “They know about Australia, South America, Stanley Burnham and everything I guess,” Justin said.

  “You guys are the reporters, so, what are we here for?” Dave asked.

  “I think the President is enthralled with our adventures and wants to learn more,” Andy said.

  “Enthralled,” Belinda said with a grin.

  “Hey, Justin can use big words, why can’t I?”

  “Okay, relax, Andy, you can use all the big words you want. I won’t understand them but everyone else will,” Belinda said.

  “Don’t beat yourself up, Lind, Andy probably doesn’t know what it means,” Jozette said and they laughed again.

  “It means to hold in a spell, captivate or to fascinate,” Andy said with a nod in Jozette’s direction.

  “Are you a dictionary now?” Jozette asked.

  “I have to be something to keep up with Joseph Pulitzer over there.” Justin grinned and Dave let out a loud laugh.

  “He doesn’t walk on water,” Andy,” Belinda said.

  “I tried it once,” Justin said.

  “How’d that work?” Warren asked chuckling.

  “I got about one step and went down quickly.”

  “Okay, let’s stop the sacrilege,” Tatiana said with a stern look. She was Russian Orthodox and though she wasn’t a Bible beater she didn’t like to mock any faith.

  “I guess someone must’ve been looking after us to keep us out of the mouths of the Megalodons and the clutches of Stanley Burnham not to mention the desert and the Great Canyon,” Justin said.

  “That’s better now, perhaps we should change the subject,” Tatiana said and they were all glad to do that.

  “What is the meeting about?” Belinda asked. Everyone had a rough idea except her. She knew nothing about politics either international or domestic and didn’t care but she still had questions and when she did, they all turned to Little Wolf to inform her. Jozette got his attention and nodded.

  “Miss Belinda, maybe I can help you,” Little Wolf said. She looked at Little Wolf and smiled. She loved Little Wolf… everyone loved Little Wolf but Belinda especially because he explained things to her without insulting her or making her feel stupid even though her comments and questions certainly put her on the trail of let’s say…underinformed.

  “What is this meeting thing about?” Belinda asked and Dave grinned.

  “Well, The Ukraine is a country in Europe.”

  “Is that like England and France?” Belinda asked.

  “Yes, but The Ukraine is farther east and actually touches Russia.”

  “Are the Russians bad?”

  “Not necessarily. The U.S. and Russia are at odds sometimes but they’re not bad.”

  “Are they the ones who are meeting?”

  “Yes, along with The Ukraine.”

  “Are they good?”

  “I guess so, they are friends with the U.S. and have shown interest in joining NATO.”

  “What’s that?” Belinda asked and Jozette rolled her eyes. Belinda saw that and gave Jozette a look.

  “NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Do you really want to know, it’s kind of long and complicated.”

  “I’d like to but I’m sure everyone else knows and you all think I’m stupid but I want to know.”

  “You’re not stupid, Miss Belinda. Your interests lie elsewhere and you don’t keep up on global politics. You’re probably not alone,” Little Wolf assured her.

  “I don’t know what it means and I’d like to hear about it too,” Ariel said. Belinda was confounding at times and annoying but they all loved her and when she didn’t know something one or more of them would speak up and say they didn’t know either so she didn’t feel bad. Is that catering to the princess? Perhaps but it could also be the sign of the sacrifices we make for our friends.

  “Well, after World War II the U.S. and Russia were at odds and the U.S. was concerned that the European countries would be overrun by Russia. So, the U.S. and other countries formed NATO to protect each other from Russia.”

  “What countries?” Belinda asked.

  “The U.S. England, Italy, France, Turkey, Belgium, Spain, Canada and others.”

  “We’re friends with all those countries?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did Russia think about this NATO?”

  “They didn’t like it.”

  “What did they do?”

  “They formed their own group called The Warsaw Pact.”

  “Who was in that?”

  “Russia, Poland, Hungary, East Germany and other allies of Russia.”

  “Is East Germany like Germany?”

  “No, East Germany was formed in 1945 when Russia occupied Eastern Germany after the war.”

  “Was there a West Germany?” Belinda asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Were they friends with us?”

  “They were.”

  “Is there stil
l an East and West Germany?”

  “No, Germany reunited in 1990.”

  “Are they our friend now?”

  “Yes and they are in NATO and so is Poland and Hungary.”

  “So, they can switch sides?”

  “They can.”

  “Can you explain this meeting?”

  “Okay, The U.S, Russia and The Ukraine are meeting to discuss some issues.”

  “Where are they meeting?”

  “In a city called Kerch.”

  “Where’s that?”

  “In The Crimea. It’s on a peninsula that connects The Crimea with Russia.”

  “Why are they meeting?”

  “They’re going to discuss a treaty and sign it.”

  “What treaty?”

  “There is a treaty that will give The Crimean Peninsula back to The Ukraine and in return The Ukraine will not join NATO.”

  “Is that good?”

  “It depends on who you are. There are elements in Russia that hate it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they want Russia to take back all the territory once controlled by the old Soviet Union under Stalin.”

  “Who’s he?”

  “You mean Stalin?”

  “Yes.” Little Wolf paused and sighed.

  “Miss Belinda, I have an idea. Why don’t we wait until we’re on the plane then I’ll explain the rest?”

  “Okay.” She was satisfied for the moment so they could move on to something else.

  “Did the President say why she wanted you to do this story?” Will asked Justin.

  “I think she feels comfortable with me writing it.”

  “No, I mean why does she want a story at all?” Will continued.

  “For her re-election campaign I guess,” Justin answered.

  “I didn’t know you were interested in politics,” Dave said.

  “I’m not,” Justin said.

  “But you’ll be helping one candidate over the others,” Dave said.

  “I’m doing it for the writing and the opportunity to meet the President no matter who she or he is.”