The Fraternity: Alaskan and Russian Roulette

By David Gleason

While attempting to escape the American justice system by fleeing to Russia, Ryan Carlson is persuaded to help establish a new Russian controlled oil cartel. Carlson is ultimately dragged into a search for a one-man killing machine. He realizes too late that he is on the killer's hit list.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publication Consultants
• Release date: Sep 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9781594332067

David Gleason

A long term dual roll of Communications expert and dedicated student of history has given C. David Gleason the opportunity to study and observe first hand, not only the rapidly changing history of his beloved America, but also a unique insight that allows him to compare the striking similarities between turn of the last century Russia and turn of this century America. Upon retiring from the communications field in 2001, Gleason began to intensify his historical research and dedicate himself to writing. The result has been two biographies, Why Russia: A Nostalgic Old World Adventure and Why Alaska: Life on the Last Frontier, co-authored with his long time wife, DeAnn. His latest books have been novels. The Fraternity: Alaskan and Russian Roulette, a mystery who-done-it and Trust Me: A Blueprint for Revolution, an unsettling prediction of the emerging world of today, realistically entwine fast paced, high tech crime fiction with some of the past and present history of Alaska, America, and Russia.

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The Fraternity

Not too well hidden on the lesser-crimes side of our society is a subculture of young people so savvy they have concocted a way to use the court system to provide them with free lodging, free health care, free transportation, and a host of other perks our young law-abiding tax payers struggle to provide for themselves.

The lawyers, judges, and welfare workers behind this fraternity aid the recipients and almost insist they participate.

By fostering a feeling in these individuals that they are indeed victims of society, the system helps relieve them from any guilt they may occasionally feel.

They are coached and cautioned to always keep their crimes on the misdemeanor level. Felonies will force them, at least temporarily, from the fraternity, because felonies require real jail time rather than sentencing to a vacation at one of the perpetual frat parties at a halfway house or minimum-security facility.

On the average, these young people are intelligent enough to compete in the real world. They are certainly intelligent enough to use the existing justice system to their advantage.

It is a shame this intelligence and this energy are not being directed toward more positive ventures. But if it were, what would all the lawyers, judges, welfare workers, and halfway house employees who foster this system do for a job?

Might not the most intelligent and cunning of this group, having mastered the art of maneuvering local and state politicians and bureaucrats with such precise skill, think they have a better plan for how national politicians, world politicians, and bureaucrats should conduct business and governmental affairs?

The Cast of Characters

The author feels strongly that a cast of characters is required to establish in the reader’s mind what motivates the mindset of fraternity membership.

Not all the characters play a major role in Ryan Carlson’s life, but all have some influence on his decision to join the fraternity.

No last names are given for the American fraternity group, as this is the rule accepted by all jailed internees.

THE AMERICAN FRATERNITY

The Wife Beater:

Donny lives in a remote bush area of Alaska. He is usually living with a woman who has a couple of kids from previous relationships. She and Donny also have most probably spawned at least one child. He lives in a dry town but likes to drink. When he drinks he gets mean and takes it out on his mate. The important question is, does he really beat his wife? The answer is yes, occasionally. He beats her just enough to give him the reputation of being a wife beater.

Exactly what does an abuse call from Donny’s mate trigger?

He is arrested and given a free airplane ride to the city, where he must make his court appearance. He is then given a stiff sentence, most of which is suspended, and a few days of relaxation, including free room and board with his frat brothers at a minimum-security facility.

Upon being released he picks up a month or more of supplies, including some booze, and is given a free ride home.

Probably most, if not all wife beatings are manufactured by Donny and his mate.

The system has given her permission to, even insisted, she call the local police every time she feels threatened.

Donny has no visitors.

The Crackhead:

Mikey is addicted to drugs. It could be any one or several of a huge assortment of drugs. This earns him the title of Crackhead at the frat house.

He usually arrives so strung out he sleeps most of the first day or two. When awake, he talks nonstop, most of which is repetitive nonsense. Guys like Donny eventually tire of Mikey and banish him back to his bed.

Not wanting to risk losing his misdemeanor status, Mikey takes Donny’s sharp commands in stride. He usually retires to a neutral corner for a few hours, then resurfaces to start his repetitive ramblings once again.

Mikey, having run out of money, has somehow engineered his past and current stays at the frat house by making certain he gets busted … . somehow.

He usually has a string of past marriages or other relationships with an assortment of kids scattered here and there.

He has no visitors, unless it is his mother, hoping she can save him.

Petty Thief:

Mark will steal it, make certain it is a small enough theft to be a misdemeanor, and be sure to get caught. Probably the theft will consist of food or clothing, eliciting enough sympathy from the victim to keep the charge from being pushed too hard. Mark is usually unattached.

He will have no visitors.

Gang Member:

Gangsta is usually just sick and tired of being mistreated and never understood by parents and/or girlfriends. He deliberately starts a fight, steals or destroys something, making certain to get caught.

He is really just lonely and wants to spend some free time with his old frat brothers, although he would never admit that.

He has rarely, if ever married, but he probably has a few kids around somewhere. He always has a macho nickname, like Gangsta. He loves tattoos and also probably has some jewelry piercing various parts of his anatomy.

Mom or some ex will probably visit. They will also have various jewelry piercing.

Bar Fighter:

Tommy is a sullen, unfriendly loner who generally considers himself to be one bad dude. The fact is he is probably right. He runs through life with a perpetual chip on his shoulder. He probably rides a bike and has a few tattoos, but not as many as Gangsta.

He calls himself a loner, but continually hangs out at bars, getting mean drunk enough to have a fight with some other drunk who, according to Tommy, started the fight! He is a little older than the average for the frat house, and probably a Vietnam vet.

He rarely has a visitor.

The Preacher:

Jerold has likely, at one time or another, been every one of the above. He has now gotten religion and sees it as his mission in life to redeem all these lost souls who drift in and out of the frat house. Even if he has to beat redemption into them!

He is still spending stretches of time at the frat house to pay for past crimes. Because he now works at a steady job he is allowed to do several short stretches of time. The first thing any newly returning frat house member will usually whisper is, Please tell me Jerold ain’t doing any time this week!

He might have an occasional visit from someone he has saved.

The Hopeless Alcoholic:

Nate has all the signs of a long-term alcoholic. He displays a red face, a bulbous nose, swollen sausage-shaped fingers, and a distended abdomen. He knows he has liver problems and has probably resigned himself to the fact that he only exists from drink to drink. With age, he has developed into a timid man who smiles at everyone he meets, secretly hoping they have managed to sneak him a little booze.

He’s in the frat house because he got wiped out and passed out in some alley or jaywalked in front of a car. All he wants is to be left alone to serve his time, get out and find a drink. He may have a wife who visits regularly.

The First-Timer:

He is usually a DUI (Driving under the Influence) who is happily married with a bunch of grandchildren. The first-timer is most often apprehended while driving home from an evening with business associates, lodge members, or friends at a restaurant with a bar. This is something he has done hundreds of times. Being a regular social drinker, he is certain he is not impaired by the three or four drinks he enjoyed over dinner.

The chances are some do-gooder planted at the bar phoned one of the local police to be looking for a drunk driver, giving a description and probably the license number of the vehicle.

The victim, being just tipsy enough to be a little careless, might have slightly exceeded the posted speed limit. More probably, he was driving with either too much caution or crossed over the center line while hugging too close. Whatever the minor violation, it was enough of an excuse for the cop to pull him over.

Being a normal law-abiding citizen, he probably agreed with the nice policeman that he had committed the violation. When asked he even admitted he’d had a few drinks. This honesty led to a DUI and BAC (blood alcohol content) test, which, although marginal, has earned him a term at the frat house along with a very stiff fine and several other massive expenses.

He is a little scared about what he might be facing with a bunch of criminals surrounding him. He now knows he should not have been driving and has already promised himself to never do it again.

To his surprise, the younger frat brothers seem to feel sorry for him, treating him with respect and friendship. They give him special treatment. They cook for him and insist on doing his assigned chores for him.

The first-timer’s wife visits every time possible and stays as long as allowed, to the obvious envy of his fellow frat brothers.

Ryan Carlson and another man of about his age and background, Peter Stanford, are both first-timers.

The Dealer:

Slick is probably the most sleazy and deceptive character in the frat house. He appears to be an innocent little cherub any mother would be proud to call son.

He flits around from dorm to dorm greeting all the regulars with, Is everybody happy today? He gushes his greeting in a slightly cockney accent.

Flashing a gold-toothed smile as he darts from dorm to dorm, he heads for the common bathroom, or if it is occupied, heads back to the hallway followed by one of the regulars.

He always avoids eye contact with strangers, especially the first timers. Slick manages to rotate himself in and out of the frat house on a regular schedule for one reason only … . to make money.

If one of the regulars wants anything, Slick will get it … . . for a price. How he obtains this contraband and who he deals with to obtain and deliver it is his own little secret. It is best, for all concerned, that it remains his secret.

He has dozens of visitors.

THE RUSSIAN CAST OF CHARACTERS

In Khaborovsk:

Alex Romanoff is a lawyer and ex-KGB officer with whom Ryan has had a nearly twenty-year friendship.

Ten years ago Alex saved Ryan’s life and helped spirit him safely back to Alaska after a run-in with a mafia gang in Khaborovsk.

He is a handsome, blue-eyed True Russian with overwhelming charisma and charm. He completely trusts his wife, Tanya, but probably no one else.

Tanya Romanoff is Alex’s wife, partner, and another lawyer. Her loyalty is to Alex and no one else. His wish is her command and she will do anything Alex requests of her.

She is a tall, willowy, brown-eyed dishwater blonde, every bit as engaging as her husband. She may completely trust no one on earth.

Iraina Klabenov is a gorgeous blue-eyed, red-haired Ukrainian, also working to become a lawyer. She has been the office manager in Alex and Tanya’s law firm since the beginning of 1989.

Nineteen then, she is now in her thirties, and more beautiful than ever. Iraina is what Ryan commonly refers to as Russian bait. Her primary function is to compromise foreign clients of the firm to help Alex obtain future favors. Has she compromised Ryan? Not yet.

She has learned through many bad experiences to trust no one. Not even Alex and Tanya are privy to her most inner thought and fears.

Slava Takachenko is an ex-colonel in the Soviet army. He is the client who employed Ryan’s company nearly twenty years ago to install a satellite communications system in Khaborovsk, giving Siberia access to voice, data, and Internet connections throughout the Western world and back to Moscow. Having accomplished this at times seemingly impossible task, has established Ryan as the only American Slava has ever trusted. He trusts no one else in the world, with the possible exception of Vlad.

Vlad Pushkin is a retired naval commander and Slava’s oldest friend. They attended the university in Vladivostok together with Michail Stepanov and Stasha Machinco.

Vlad tends to trust everyone.

In Baikal:

Stasha Machinko is a former army specialist and a past Soviet mayor of Irkutsk who retired to Baikal lodge after the Soviet breakup.

Stasha and his wife, Svetlana, have made a pleasant life for themselves by still playing the role of unofficial mayor of Irkutsk. With Luba Bianka’s help they have managed to skim enough money from tourists, business people, and foreign dignitaries passing through the area to maintain a handsome lifestyle, by Siberian standards.

The draw for guests visiting Baikal Lodge is beautiful Lake Baikal, so clean and pure one can drink the water directly from the lake. Lake Baikal is also believed to contain nearly 20 percent of the world’s fresh water.

Stasha trusts Svetlana with his life. He claims to feel the same trust toward Michail Stepanov and … . Ryan.

Svetlana Machinko is Slava’s petite, shy, very plain, and completely devoted wife and partner. Their relationship is a mirror image of Alex and Tanya’s. As does Vlad in Khaborovsk, Svetlana tends to completely trust everyone.

Luba Bianka is a raven-haired, super intelligent and cunning beauty. She has established herself, with the help of the new mayor and fledgling banking industry in Irkutsk, as an official tour guide of the area. She is the manager of RETRO in Irkutsk, the impressive old Soviet-style party house, now called a business center. Most really wealthy and influential visitors are lodged at the business center, which helps keep Stasha and Luba in business.

Luba does not even trust herself! She occasionally confides in Michail Stepanov, but rarely.

In Bratsk:

Alexander Popov is the image of an old-style Soviet poster soldier. Alexander was the former assistant to the head man at the Bratsk City Utilities. He is now the head man and, as such, has control of the telephone, oil, gas, and electric facilities attempting to serve this city of about a quarter million souls.

He loves and trusts Ryan completely because Ryan, through a generous and unselfish act, established Alexander as a hero in the eyes of his old boss.

He also trusts his old boss completely, but probably is slightly leery of everyone else in Bratsk. After all, as head man, he knows there are enemies everywhere.

Vladimir Koslofski is a slight, whispery sort of ghostlike character. He constantly bows and scrapes in order to please the Alexander.

Alexander does not require the dedicated-lackey attitude Vladimir displays, but endures it as the man has a photographic memory for details at all informal and business meetings. This gift of Vladimir’s has saved the day for them many times.

Vladimir trusts only his own infallible instincts. He does not know Ryan; therefore he does not trust him.

In Magadan:

Michail Stepanov is the first Russian Ryan met. A nearly immediate friendship has joined the two in a strong bond of mutual trust. Many late nights of too many vodka dobnas and too many personal revelations has made it a necessity for each to trust the other. Common sharing of skeletons in the closet will tend to form trust, even among thieves.

And, more than once, Michail and Ryan have been thieves together out of necessity, for survival.

Ryan has visited and slept in Michail’s flat many times. Michail has visited and stayed at Anna and Ryan’s home in past years.

Michail trusts Ryan completely, but still fears Ryan is a bit too trusting of others, especially Alex Romanoff.

Michail is an impeccable little man with more natural intuition and street smarts than anyone else Ryan has ever encountered.

As does Ryan, Michail holds an IEEE Electrical Engineering Certification. He has proven to Ryan he deserves his graduation with honors.

Michail has grown to love and trust Ryan’s wife Anna even more than Ryan.

Alexander and Vlad are two old business partners of Michail’s, with the same first names as the two contacts in Bratsk. Ryan has always thought this coincidence showed a great lack of imagination on the part of Russian mothers in naming their children. Their last names are of little importance to the story.

In Sakhalin:

Dimitri Schmirnoff is a sly, mustached, slightly graying and somewhat stooped man. Dimitri has always reminded Ryan of the worst of the old, sleazy Soviet leaders.

He is constantly searching for a new angle and a new partner with money, and attempting to combine the two. As head of the old Soviet Intourist hotel, now converted to a huge business center and hotel complex, thanks to American oil company money, he has become very wealthy.

Dimitri has no tolerance for incompetence or stupidity. He has been known to unceremoniously end business meetings with potential partners or marketers by shouting and fleeing from the room, never to return. Therefore, Mi-chail has warned Ryan to always be candid and up front with Dimitri, which has served both of them well in the past.

He may trust his wife, Anaya, but how far can a man trust a woman who is willing to become Russian bait as circumstances dictate? He tolerates Michail and Ryan because they have helped make him wealthy beyond his dreams.

Anaya Schmirnoff is a breathtaking beauty who, as do Iraina and Luba, makes a lie of the old notion that all Russian women are fat and ugly, a notion Ryan quickly abandoned on his first trip to Russia. Much the same as Alex, Anaya is as close