Renegade: Coming In Hot, #2

By Albert Valiaveedu

The second installment of Albert Valiaveedu's 'Coming in Hot' Trilogy develops the story with thrilling new characters. Meet Francis Running, an Army Major who transferred from the SAS, Samira Kohen, a half-Israeli, half-Palestinian writer, and James Beckett, a man who really wants a vacation. Premiering on Veterans Day 2020, Renegade explores the beauties and perils of the ever-changing present.The second installment of Albert Valiaveedu's 'Coming in Hot' Trilogy develops the story with thrilling new characters. Meet Francis Running, an Army Major who transferred from the SAS, Samira Kohen, a half-Israeli, half-Palestinian writer, and James Beckett, a man who really wants a vacation. Premiering on Veterans Day 2020, Renegade explores the beauties and perils of the ever-changing present.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Valiaveedu
• Release date: Oct 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393522225

Book preview

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This book is dedicated to Ibrahim Odeh and everyone else who spreads a contagious love to everyone around them.

I legit enjoyed the second book, like it was a big improvement over the first.

―Mr. Ibrahim Odeh

CHAPTER 1-1

June 12, 2020

THE EMPTY AIR CARRIED THE DEEP MOISTURE throughout the large underground chamber.

V chem problema? asked Andrei Moroz II. What’s the problem?

We have two issues with the design, said the scientist. Dr. Lev Bronstein was a nuclear physicist who worked at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute until 1991. Since then, he had been employed with the Bratva under Moroz as their lead nuclear physicist and engineer. Bronstein and Moroz were close friends.

What do you mean?

We cannot understand how Kurchatov transported the energy from the primary stage to the secondary stage. We believe it uses gamma rays, but we cannot recreate the same radiation pressure, or even enough to initiate stage two. clarified Dr. Bronstein. Andrei pretended to understand and Doctor Bronstein saw through his façade, they knew each other too well.

What’s the second problem, Doctor?

There is a thick layer of Cobalt-59 around the entire device. It is embedded on to the radiation case and we cannot understand what it is for, or if it is even implemented correctly.

After 60 years, the Solntsevskaya Bratva was finally able to make significant breakthroughs in repairing a thermonuclear warhead that was damaged in the 1960’s. Without the original plans and its precision manufacturing, it was very difficult for the underpaid scientists to make progress. However, the intellect of Dr. Bronstein with the drive of Andrei Moroz was very influential in making small, yet meaningful, strides in rebuilding this weapon.

The Solntsevskaya Bratva is a large Russian crime syndicate, established in cities around the world with over 5,000 active members. While they have an extremely organized structure, they make use of disorder in order to achieve their goals.

Again, while we are short on time, please be very safe and take all the resources you need to ensure we have a final working product. We are only able to afford one attempt, so no test runs. Let’s make it count

Understood, Sir. Doctor Bronstein had a mark centered on his forehead, a scar and a reminder of a time when his father pelted him with an iron bar as a child. Dr. Bronstein cannot remember why he was punished.

Andrei Moroz tried to be very compassionate, as he would want his superiors to be. Compassion was an unlikely trait to find in such a man. Andrei Moroz is a recently indoctrinated vor v zakone, a thief in law. A thief in law is a form of respect among criminals, giving Andrei an elite position as a ‘professional criminal’. Because of this, only Andrei and his boss knew what the weapon would be used for and that lives that had to be taken for the plan to succeed.

CHAPTER 2-2

June 20, 1960

WE HAVE AN INCIDENT on R228. A string of trucks carrying high grade military equipment is being attacked.

‘The Operator’, as Aleksei called him, tapped into federal and emergency radio lines around the Stalingrad and Saratov Oblasts. The operator didn’t work for Aleksei; he worked directly for Mr. Valerianovich.

Where are they going? asked Aleksei

No idea.

Where are they coming from?

Stalingrad.

Are those the warheads we lost?

I believe so.

The Mafia had located several nuclear warheads at Zvezdograd Air Base in Kazakhstan. For an unknown reason and without any warning, the warheads were moved to another site. The Bratva was far less organized and had far fewer resources in 1960 than they would in 2020. Yet Aleksei did manage to score a helicopter.

Give me the details. I’m going with Ivan and Dmitri to recover them.

The helicopter was only a temporary asset. It will be sold off as soon as they come to an agreement with the bidder.

I’m hearing chatter that American spies are attempting to destroy the warheads by sabotaging the trucks.

Then we have to get there soon.

The small team had a hangar between Saratov and Stalingrad, equipped with the stolen Mil Mi-2 Helicopter. They didn’t know if it would be able to take the weight of a fully loaded nuclear missile. They had no choice but to try. It had been months since their last job and an opportunity of this magnitude had never come up before. The helicopter went through a full maintenance last week and was ready for a test-run. Aleksei wanted to push its limits.

Millions of men have been released from the gulags over the past few years, which allowed Aleksei’s team to grow and thrive. Ivan and Dmitri were both discharged from the Vorkutlag, one of the most infamous gulags, in 1955. These men were more desperate and hardened than most. Dmitri was Aleksei’s childhood best friend. Aleksei took care of Dmitri’s mother and business while Dmitri was at Vorkutlag for theft and tax fraud. Ivan was Dmitri’s friend from the Vorkutlag who realized that he would never get his old life back.

Once Ivan was able to get the rotors spinning, they quickly clambered aboard. Ivan was in the Soviet Air Force years ago and knew how to fly a Mi-4. Dmitri and Aleksei sat in the back. They wore earmuffs for hearing protection and suited up with Soviet Air Force uniforms. They were able to take-off from the grass and climb into the great blue sky in less than a minute. Within 30 minutes, they reached the Volga River and followed it until it lined up with R228, the main road that connects Stalingrad to Saratov. The warm summer sun was encouraging them to keep moving forward. Easily enough, Ivan found the first truck, bobbing in the river as the great depths of the river enveloped it whole.

It’s a lost cause, let’s keep moving! Ivan was yelling over the sound of the blades. A quick nod from Aleksei verified the order. Ivan’s eyes darted on to the cliffside where the tire tracks indicated the fall path of the warhead. Following up the road, he saw the second truck flipped onto one side, tearing the road behind it.

Found number two! Want to take this one back home?

Yes Ivan! yelled Aleksei back. His harsh Russian words were fighting the cool summer breeze and the deafening propeller blades through their insulating earmuffs. His volume was straining his vocal cords. He made the decision to save his voice.

As Ivan slowly dropped the helicopter down onto the road, the police were forming a perimeter around the wreckage. The three quickly jumped off the helicopter and the police officers nodded at them. They needed to move the truck before they could proceed to follow the Americans. In addition, traffic was beginning to form. The police did not expect help to arrive so quickly, or even at all, but they were not complaining. Aleksei stole chains that were once used to moor massive oil tankers off a dock on the Caspian Sea. Many tankers from the region have been decommissioned recently. The chains should hold themselves well.

The speed at which they were able to place the chains around the trailer surprised Dmitri; it was his first time stealing something of this magnitude. Aleksei checked all the links by running them through his fingers and made sure all four chains were appropriately linked to their respective hold points on the massive container. The team only needed the trailer, which carried the valuable cargo. The police would be lucky since the trailer was also the only part of the truck that was blocking the road. The truck cabin was indented into the cliffside.

Are you sure this is a good idea? Dmitri asked to Aleksei.

You miss every shot you don’t take.

Aleksei, you miss every shot you do take. 

Aleksei ignored the joke and continued to verify that the truck was dislocated from the trailer. After rechecking the lift points, he jumped into the chopper with Ivan and Dmitri and gave the signal.

Davay! yelled Aleksei. Let’s go!

They took off quickly, but the chains started screeching.

It’s not going to make it Aleksei! yelled Ivan.

Try a little bit harder! Aleksei motioned to Ivan with his hands to keep going. Aleksei had faith. That is until he noticed that on one of the chains, the microscopic dislocations started opening up into a visible crack. Never mind, put it down! Aleksei motioned down with his thumb. Ivan understood.

Ivan drops the chopper back from where he lifted off. The Mi-4 did not fail on them, the old chains did. Aleksei was told to recover as many of the missiles as possible. They would be