The Gemini Divergence (37 page)

The Cold
War / Epitaph Of Paranoia

Gennedy Kasparov was sitting in a lobby area
of the large hall outside of Stalin’s office. As he sluggishly
looked through files on his lap, he was approached by another
Stalin aid.

“What is wrong Comrade Kasparov? I could see
your expression from all the way across the hall,” commented the
aid.

“Oh, I have much bad news to convey to
Stalin. I dread to tell him, but I know the consequences of not
telling him will be much more severe.”

“But I still thought that you would be in a
happier mood.”

“Are you kidding Comrade? Listen to what I
have to tell him.”

Gennedy trusted the aid that he was talking
to but still looked over both shoulders before he continued, “The
Americans have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. Their captured
German scientists have developed a rocket to deliver those bombs.
The Americans have discovered the secret German base in Antarctica
that we have been searching for, for years. The Germans have
attacked America from a station that they have in space and the
Americans have used German scientists to develop a microwave weapon
to shoot back at it, and now we have reports that Hitler did
survive the Great Patriotic War, the Germans are in space and the
Americans have just signed a treaty with them.”

The aid looked confused and replied, “Comrade
Kasparov, I have already seen the notes that you have prepared for
today’s briefing. I thought that you…”

Gennedy excitedly interrupted him, “Where
could you have possibly seen this document before I showed it to
you? It was in my safe in my office and to my knowledge, only I
have looked upon it until now.”

The aid looked back in dismay as he
explained, “But Comrade Kozlov has showed me a copy of this
document. He led me to believe that you have delegated the briefing
to him. I thought that you would be happy that ignorant little suck
up was foolishly going to take the fall for you.”

“But how did he get into my safe?” queried
Gennedy as he jumped to his feet, “Where is that back stabbing
little pest now?”

The aid then stuttered, “H-H-He is already in
Comrade Stalin’s office, his appointment was before yours.”

Gennedy looked behind him at Stalin’s office
doors in a combination of fury and terror. He was so scared that he
didn’t care who was watching, he just fell to his knees and made
the sign of the cross as he muttered, “Oh my God, my God, please
help us.

The aid stood and watched with nervous
apprehension as Gennedy bowed his head in prayer, when suddenly the
large doors to Stalin’s office burst open as Kozlov ran out and
shouted, “Comrade Stalin is dead!”

Everyone in the hallway gasped as all of
them, including the aid ran towards the office.

Gennedy kneeled alone as he popped his head
up and looked behind him at the turmoil. When he finally realized
that Stalin was actually dead he smiled as he happily made another
sign of the cross in thanks for Stalin’s sudden demise. He then
stood and walked to join the others.

As Gennedy approached the crowd, Kozlov
nervously pointed back into the room and ranted, “He just died. He
must have had a heart attack.”

At that moment, Comrade Khrushchev walked out
of Stalin’s office and pointed to Kozlov, “Guards take this man
away.”

“But why?” pleaded Kozlov, “I was just the
messenger.”

Khrushchev continued to point at Kozlov as he
said, “And I recall that it was you that Comrade Stalin was choking
when he suddenly had his heart attack.”

Kozlov pointed at Gennedy, “But it was
Comrade Kasparov’s report, he made me report it to Stalin.”

Gennedy put his hand over his heart as he
shook his head no, trembling in fear.

Khrushchev didn’t even turn to look at
Gennedy as he snapped back at Kozlov, “Funny Comrade, how you
failed to mention that in the briefing. I recall that you took
total credit for discovering the information that you briefed
Comrade Stalin,” he then signaled the guards to take Kozlov
away.

As the guards dragged Kozlov, kicking and
screaming down the hall, Gennedy turned from the crowd and looked
to the sky as he secretly whispered, “Thank you God.”

*~*

Collier’s magazine asked Werner Von Braun to
do a series of articles explaining his vision for the future of
space. The articles were wildly popular and were the break through
that started Von Braun’s celebrity public image.

One of the people that took notice of the
articles was Walt Disney, who quickly contacted Von Braun and
arranged for a meeting.

Disney had no idea that Von Braun was already
seeking to meet him, he just saw the potential of Von Braun making
appearances on the World of Disney to portray the grand fantasy of
future space travel.

*~*

“I told you that there would be lots of space
in there,” commented Gus as he and Jack stared into a nose cone
that they had just removed from a newly delivered B-57 that AFOAT
was retrofitting for reconnaissance.

The plane was sitting out in the middle of
the Nevada Test Site on the dry Groom Lake bed on the north east
side of the atomic weapons test area.

Other AFOAT engineers had already extended
the wingspan and added liquid oxygen injectors to enable the plane
to fly at never before reached altitudes.

Now Gus and Jack were figuring out how to add
a sampling platform. They have been removing panels and checking
various cavities to find available space for their equipment.

The plane was sitting on the dry lake bed
because they wanted to operate it from a location that no one else
could see it. If somebody could figure out that it was capable of
flying at extremely high altitudes they would surely start asking
why, so they removed it from the prying eyes of other Air Force
technicians and officers.

“You’re right,” responded Jack, “I think we
will be able to fit the entire gaseous platform up here, now we
just need to find a place for the particulate samplers and the
directional receiver.”

There were only a few huts at the location at
this time, but it had already grown dramatically from a couple of
years earlier when they first came to this valley to set up
equipment to monitor the bomb tests.

As they worked, an Air Force truck arrived
and a group of civilians in office clothing climbed out of the
truck and started to look around. A young man in civilian clothes
broke away from his group and walked up to talk with them.

Gus stepped forward to greet him as he
approached the plane. As he held out his hand to shake, he asked,
“What are all of you guys doing here today?”

The young man looked back at his group and
said, “We’re all from Lockheed, The Air Force wants us to start
working on our projects out here, apparently they want to keep
sensitive aircraft away from the mainstream bases.”

“There’s a lot of that going around,” smiled
Gus as he pointed back towards the aircraft that he was working
on.

The young technician held out his hand for
Gus to shake as he introduced himself, “My name is Everett Klein, I
work for Lockheed.”

“Let me guess,” interjected Jack as he walked
around the side of the plane, “You guys are going to work out here
so nobody will know what you’re doing?”

“Yes,” responded the young man, “That’s what
they told us anyway.”

“What do you think we are always doing out
here?” answered Gus as he returned the hand shake, “Hell Jack and I
have been working by ourselves out in the desert for so long that
Jack is starting to permanently turn red. I actually think that he
may be turning into an Indian.”

Jack held up his hand like a movie Indian and
said, “How.”.

As they talked the rest of the group had
gathered around the plane and had started noticing the peculiar
modifications.

An older man with grey hair approached Gus
and asked, “Sergeant, why has this plane been modified like this?
It looks like it has been retrofitted for high altitudes, why?”

Gus looked at the man and replied, “Mister,
we have been working out here in the sun in middle of nowhere so
that nobody would ever ask us that.”

“I’ll get the ankle chains,” joked Jack.

“Really,” continued Gus, “he is joking, but I
am serious. We are not supposed to talk about this plane. So please
just look at whatever else you came here to look at, and pretend
like you didn’t see us doing anything.”

“And don’t follow us over the ridge later;”
added Jack, “There are monsters over there.”

Gus frowned at Jack’s comments and explained,
“The other side of the hill is also forbidden for anyone to look
at. We have other secret business over there.”

“The man looked frustrated, and then asked
politely, “Why a B-57?”

Gus looked over his shoulder at jack, who
then shrugged, “I guess that part is not secret… We chose the 57
because the Brits designed it during the war to be started in
farmer’s fields, so we don’t need any A.G.E. to start it up. We
just plop in one of these shotgun shell looking cartridges and
kaplooey, it starts.”

“Who is in charge of all of this?” asked the
old man.

Gus pulled out his wallet and said, “I can’t
tell you that either, but years ago I was given this card to give
to anyone that came along and started asking too many
questions.”

Gus handed the card to the old man, who then
started to read it. It had a phone number and a handwritten name
‘Lemay’.

The old man looked shocked, “I won’t bother
you any more sergeant, but do you mind if I keep this card.”

“You can write the number down, I can’t let
that go. I seem to get a lot of use out of that card and it’s the
only one I have,” replied Gus.

The man quickly pulled a note pad and pen
from his pocket and scribbled the number down. He then returned the
card to Gus and thanked him.

As he walked away from Gus he talked to
others in his group, “You know that special project that we are
scouting locations for? This aircraft gives me an idea. I need to
make some phone calls.”

“Just let me know what you need Mr. Johnson,”
answered the man walking next to him.

*~*

General Lemay was at a general Air Force
briefing being given to President Eisenhower in Washington. The
subjects ranged from Korea to the introduction of the B-57, the
testing of the new B-52 prototype, as well as the phase out of the
B-36.

Symington was no longer present; he left with
the Truman administration and was now a Senator from Missouri.

Most of the AFOAT mission had now been
removed from Lemay’s responsibility and he now only intervened when
he needed something, particularly concerning the Germans.

He was growing nervous with the boredom, so
he instinctively pulled out one of his cigars and started to light
it.

President Eisenhower noticed immediately,
loosing his attention for the general that was speaking to him and
diverting his attention towards Lemay.

Eisenhower used to smoke four packs a day
until his doctor asked him to slow down to a single pack a day in
1949. At first, he struggled with cutting down and decided that it
was easier to stop all together. Since then he has grown to despise
smoke and learned to view smokers that could not stop as weak and
lacking will.

“General Lemay, do you mind?” snorted the
President.

Immediately after realizing what he had
unconsciously done, he put his cigar into his coffee to extinguish
it as he silently apologized.

Just then a State Department aid entered the
room and approached the President, whispering in his ear.

Eisenhower looked back at the aid, shocked,
and inquired, “Are you sure, has this been confirmed?”

“Yes sir, it has been checked and double
checked.”

Eisenhower turned to the generals in
attendance and announced, “Gentlemen, I have just been informed
that Stalin has just died from a heart attack,” he chuckled than
added, “I wondered what would happen when he found out.”

At that, every one in attendance burst into
laughter.

The President turned back to the aid and
asked, “Have they announced who will be taking his place?”

The aid answered, “No sir, they are saying
that it is undecided.”

Ike turned to the men and asked, “Want to
place bets on who steps in? My money is on Beria.”

Lemay interjected, “Oh ya, well my money will
be on that sawed off little, Napoleon complex runt, Khrushchev.
I’ll bet he has Beria pushing up daisies before the month is
gone.”

“Well at least he is not as paranoid as
Stalin, but he is as ruthless.” Commented Ike, “And he is
overconfident and flashy.”

“Are you kidding?” Joked Lemay, “If
Khrushchev were an American, he would have a huge pickup truck on a
massive Texas ranch with a hat so big that it would shade his toes
at sunset.”

Everybody laughed again.

Eisenhower then got serious, “Although,
Gentlemen, if it does turn out to be Khrushchev, we may have an
even larger problem on our hands. We could always count on Stalin
to be paranoid. Khrushchev is a very clever loose canon. He is
totally unpredictable, and has a proclivity for biting people he
disagrees with in the rear.”

~~~**^**~~~