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that our missiles will get through the enemy defenses. If the
Americans are successful, then some of our missiles will reach their
targets."
"Bondarev?" the Chairman demanded.
"I believe this may be our last chance. If we do not aid the
Americans now, then the Americans will be defeated, and how long
will it be before Russia falls to the aliens?"
"Your recommendation?"
This is recorded. Not only the Chairman. The KGB will listen. If
we fail- "Comrade Chairman, I recommend that we aid the
Americans, provided that they use their Pershing missiles, all of
their Pershing missiles, in both England and Germany, to assist our
penetration."
"You agree, Marshal Shavyrin?"
"Da, with those conditions, Comrade Chainnan."
There was a long silence. Then the Chairman said, "Very well. I
will inform the American President, and we will soon tell you the time
for this attack." There was another pause, then the Chairman's
voice came on again. "Academician and General of the Army Pavel
Aleksandrovich Bondarev, and Marshal Leonid Edmundovich
Shavyrin, I instruct you to take command of all strategic forces of
the Soviet Union, including the submarine forces, and to employ
them in aid of the battle plan code-named WHIRLWIND. If you
jointly agree, you are authorized to use all of the forces in your
command in aid of the American effort to drive the aliens from the
planet. Is this understood?"
"Da, Comrade Chairman," Shavyrin said.
Pavel Bondarev gulped hard. "Da."
22 SOMETHING IN THE AIR
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
-- ARAB PROVERB
COUNTDOWN: H PLUS THREE WEEKS
Pavel Bondarev looked up at the big clock on his wall. "Ten
minutes," he said.
Marshal Shavyrin grinned. "Da. You are nervous, Comrade!"
"Of course," Bondarev said with irritation. "We are about to
make the most important decision in Russian history. Should I not
be nervous?"
"Certainly, but you will permit that I do not openly join you? I
have known for five years that I might be faced with this moment."
"True," Bondarev said. He looked at the twin electronics
consoles installed against one wall of his underground office. Lights
winked in complex patterns. In the lower right corner of each
console was a switch. Bondarev patted his throat, to feel the key
on its silver chain. "Does it make it easier?"
"The peasants say you can become accustomed to anything,
even hanging, if you hang long enough-what was that?"
There were sharp sounds from outside. Bondarev went to the
door.
"No! Do not open that door!" Shavyrin commanded. He lifted
his telephone. "Colonel! What is the situation?" He listened for a
few moments. "They must not enter," he snapped: "The cost does
not matter. Our orders come from Chairman Petrovskiy himself! Do
what you can. What you must," he said. He put down the phone.
Bondarev looked the question at him.
"KGB," Shavyrin said. "They have sent soldiers as well as their
agents. My security forces are resisting them."
"But-" Pavel lifted the telephone. "Get me Chairman Petrovshy-
'
Shavyrin shook his head. "Colonel Polivanov has already
reported that the KGB has cut the telephone lines. We no longer
have communications with Moscow."
Bondamv looked up in horror. "But-"
Before he could speak, the door opened. Lorena came in.
"What are you doing here?" Bondarev demanded.
She hesitated for a moment, then showed what was i~ her
hand. She held a small automatic pistol. "You are both under
arrest, in the name of State Security," she said.
"No!" Bdndarev shouted. "Not you!"
"The KGB is everywhere," Shavyrin said. He reached for the
telephone. -
"Stop that!" Lorena shouted. Hysteria tinged her voice.
"Comrade, I must speak to the rocket forces," Shavyrin said.
"To order them to aid the Americans," she said. "Never! The
aliens will destroy the Soviet Union-"
"Then they will do it anyway," Shavyrin said. "Understand this.
The Americans are to launch"-he glanced at the clock on the wall-
"even now are launching their Pershing missiles. Those missiles will
come toward us. They are supposed to provide a diversion to allow
our missiles to penetrate, but there is always the chance that the
Americans will use this as an opportunity to attack us. With that in
mind I have given orders that if the rocket forces do not hear from
us, they will attack the United States. Not attack Kansas, but all of
the United States!"
"I know nothing of this," she shouted. "You will move there, to
that wall, away from the desk, away from the telephones!"
"Lorena," Bondarev said. "Lorena, you cannot do this." He
moved toward her. She backed away.
"Stop! I will shoot! I will!"
Bondarev advanced.
The little gun spat at him. He felt a sharp pain in his chest.
"Lorena!" he shouted. He swayed against the wall.
She looked in horror. "Pavel, Pavel-"
As she spoke, Marshal Shavyrin moved. He lifted the brass
telescope from Bondarev's desk and swung it, bringing it down on
Lorena's head, striking so hard that the telescope bent over her
head and a lens fell onto the floor.
She collapsed instantly. Shavyrin dropped the telescope and
moved to close the door. Then he hurried to Bondarev. "Comrade,"
he said. "Pavel-"
Pavel heard him as from a distance. He tried to take a deep
breath, but pain prevented him, and he heard blood burbling in his
lungs. More shots sounded from outside in the corridors. They
seemed much closer.
"I-am alive," Bondarev said. Each word was an effort. He
looked at theclock. "It is time! We must know, did the Americans
fire the Pershing missiles?"
Shavyrin lifted the telephone. "Polivanov. Shavyrin here.
Colonel, did the Americans fire their Pershings?" There was a long
pause. "I see," Shavyrin said. "Do we have communications with the
strategic forces? I see. Thank you." He put the telephone down.
"The KGB has cut us off from all reports from the West," he said
carefully. "Their spetsnaz troops came in such force that we could
not hold all of this headquarters. My troops chose instead
to,defend the command circuits, which remain intact." He pointed at
the winking lights. "The keys will work, Comrade Academician. What
do we do?"
Pavel breathed in short gasps. It hurt terribly. He collapsed in
a chair in front of his console. "The Pershings-"
"We will never know about the Pershings," Shavyrin said. "And
from the sounds in the corridors, we do not have much more time."
As he spoke he unbuttoned the breast pocket of his uniform and
took out a key. He looked at it for a moment, then inserted the key
into his console and turned it.
"You know more of these things than I, Pavel. I have aimed my
panel. It is your decision now." Shavyrin drew his pistol and turned
toward the door. "But I think you must decide quickly."
Jt felt as if his head was padded with cotton wool. Each breath
hurt, and Shavyrin's voice seemed to fade and return. What must 1
do? We cannot know, we cannot know. Have the Americans tricked
us? Could the KGB be right?
Lorena lay on his Persian carpet. The broken brass telescope
lay over her left arm, partly covering the expensive bracelet that
Pavel had bought her. He could not see whether she was breathing.
The gunfire in the corridors outside was very close.
Quickly! Pavel fumbled with his shirt buttons. It seemed to
take forever to open the links of the chain, and when he tried to
jerk it off it wouldn't break. Patience- He opened the catch at last,
and for a moment stared at the-brass key; then quickly and
decisively he thrust it into the key switch and turned it.
One by one the lights on the board blinked from green to red.
"It is done," Bondarev said.
`Da," Shavyrin said. There was a loud click as he released the
safety catch of his pistol.
There was something in the air. It affected all fithp differently.
Spaceborn females only felt a nervousness, a wrongness; they
tended to snap back if approached wrongly. Sleepers were easily
distracted; they had to be held to their duties. Even spaceborn
males felt a belligerent optimism, as if their bodies wanted to dance
or fight. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]