Bombshell by Max Allan Collins & Barbara Collins

Author:Max Allan Collins & Barbara Collins [Collins, Max Allan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781647343538
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Published: 2021-05-11T22:00:00+00:00

9 Rescue Mission

In the Presidential Suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Nikita Khrushchev lay on his back in bed like a beached sea beast, arms and legs spread wide, in an X-formation. Darkness enveloped the room and he could not see the ceiling at which he stared. The most powerful man in Russia felt like the most impotent man in America, and he did not like it one bit.

In the suite next door, his wife Nina and their older daughter Julia (Rada and her husband Alexei had their own room), would be slumbering soundly, not a care in the world, visions of capitalist sightseeing dancing in their untroubled minds. Nina had not shared a bed with her husband for some years, because (she said) of his thrashing about, when he couldn’t sleep, and his night-rending snoring, when he could. Tonight was one of the “couldn’t” ones; though it was well after midnight, and he was thoroughly exhausted—both mentally and physically—Nikita had not yet even tried to court slumber. His mind danced furiously, racing from one outrage to another, from assaults by the press to poor security from the American government, the premier incensed over the generally boorish, disrespectful treatment he had received during his short stay in Los Angeles, especially from that vyesh brakovanaya mayor, Poulson.

Beyond that, the premier was disheartened, feeling more depressed than he had in years. The stakes were so high now: these Americans, in their arrogance, could not seem to fathom the reality of potential Armageddon. He had not felt such despondence since World War II, when he was left at the front to fight the overpowering Germans, while Stalin hid under the bed back at his dacha, having his latest nervous breakdown.

Nikita’s trip to America had not gone at all well. He could not fault himself—hadn’t he been on his best behavior, throughout? He realized his occasional so-called “outbursts” had brought criticism and not just in the American press; but Nikita could not have looked the other way when he was insulted, because to insult him was to insult Russia; it was not a matter of pride, rather the projection of strength.

But so much, so very much might have been accomplished by a successful visit, affecting positively the future of Soviet Russia, the United States, the very world itself.

Didn’t the egotistical Americans realize they were playing with atomic fire? That when you got burned in such a game, the result was more than just blisters … or had they forgotten Hiroshima? Maybe so, since it had been the enemy on the receiving end. Well, if the Americans weren’t concerned about disarmament, then so be it! The Russians already had nuclear rockets aimed at every one of the USA’s major cities … and there could easily be more Russian rockets to aim at more American cities…

Nikita rolled onto his right side, and the bedsprings seemed to cry in agony.

Rage gave birth to frustration. The problem with this arms race was that all these missiles cost money … money that was necessary for seed to feed the Russian people.

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