Chapter 39

The three men emerged from the underground silo just minutes after Petro Vlasenko made the announcement. The guards had given up holding a gun on their prisoner long ago and now were convinced their only chance at life was following him. By the main doors, Will and Ben sat on snowmobiles, ready to whisk the men away.

Kostya, seeing them first, waved and the men ran to the vehicles. Will welcomed Alec on the back of his snowmobile, and Ben took Olek. Kostya looked around.

“I am seeing a problem,” he said.

“There’s no problem, Kostya, other than my sister who is probably freaking out about now,” Will said.

“You don’t need to go to the bunker if you give me the code, Kostya. I’ll send the command to abort. In the meantime, we’ve got you another ride.” Out of the snow rose a military helicopter, flown by Serhiy. “He’ll get you to Kiev so you can wrap this mission up.”

Kostya smiled and gave both men a strong slap on the back as he hugged them. He passed on the information Ben needed and joined Serhiy in the helicopter. The snowmobiles headed to the bunker at the Melnyks’ home to save the world with some radio commands, and Kostya rose into the sky. As the chopper flew toward Kiev, the air around them shook and the orange flames of the missile’s rocket were visible behind them. Kostya, still serious, stayed on the radio with Ben for the rest of the flight, but anxiously, he worried about Meredith. How would he find her in a chaotic city of millions? But then, he knew exactly where she’d be.

****

After coffee, Meredith hailed a cab and had it drop her at Mariinsky Park along the Dnieper River. She was carefully watching the sky for any evidence of the destruction that the missile was causing, although she knew nothing would happen for a few more minutes. It seemed like the earth was holding its breath, anticipating the blows.

Where were the missiles heading? She wondered where her parents were and if they would be safe.

Her random footsteps led her to a familiar place. She laughed as she looked up and saw it in front of her. What were the chances? But then she knew it was not an accident she was right here as the world turned upside down.

This place represented the only thing that was right. Climbing the steps to the pedestrian bridge she began to read inscriptions on the many locks and ribbons. Initials and proclamations of undying love lined up side by side, crowded to make room for as many as could fit. She walked slowly to the center part of the bridge, measuring it against her memory, and she started to look.

Each lock represented life, represented love that would not be undone. Hers had to still be here, didn’t it? It had been so long—perhaps they cleared them occasionally. But still, she looked frantically weaving through the ribbons and pushing the locks aside, until it was there. In her hands, her initials next to his. The gold-colored lock, tarnished with time and exposure, still bore their initials. She knelt next to the lock and tears began to flow again as she read, A wish on a star that came true.

“You’re not going to use your key to remove that, are you?” Upon hearing his voice, she closed her eyes, leaned back and sighed. “Maybe we should have thrown these keys into the Dnieper River that day.”

“Never,” she insisted. “With it, I never lost you.”

He knelt next to her and took her freezing hands in his, the lock still between them. “Meri, this lock is not the part of me you hold.” He took her hands and placed them on his chest, and wrapped his around them.

“This, this living beating heart, has been yours since I first saw you asleep on the side of the road.” He wrapped his warm hands around her cold cheeks and kissed her. His touch warmed her skin, but inside, she was still cold with fear.

“What are we going to do?” Meredith asked. “So many lives are going to be lost in just a few minutes.”

He smiled and looked at his watch. Standing, he took her hand and helped her to stand as well. “Look over there in twenty seconds.”

She stared that direction, unsure what to look for, when she saw a sudden pop on the horizon, and trails of smoke falling. “What was that?”

“The missile being aborted, using radio waves, just as it flew over the Baltic Sea,” he said proudly. “It’s just one of the tasks I discovered that chip could do.”

“No one’s going to die?” Meredith searched his eyes.

“Well, not of a nuclear bomb blast.”

Throwing her arms around him, she kissed him—happily, passionately, and symbolically, for they weren’t just celebrating their love, they were celebrating the gift of life.

And life was good.