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Yulin, who was terrified of street demonstrations and wanted to turn the security forces loose on the "hooligansall the hooligans." He dwelt constantly on the deadly confrontation on the day of Orgonev's funeral, even though it had been his troops who had done the killing. The rest of the Council of Ministers appeared to agree with Yulin, heavily influenced by the warnings from Kondratiev's supporters. They claimed that only repressive measures would save the stateor was it their hides they were worried about, if a putsch succeeded? |
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He was startled out of his reverie by the sound of a clipped military voice on the telephone saying, "V. A. Komarov here, Mr. President. At your service, Excellency." |
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Cherny cleared his throat and squared his shoulders before speaking. There is no going back now, he thought. The battle begins. |
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"General Komarov," the President said firmly. "I order you to come here to the Kremlin at once, by the swiftest means available. I wish to confer with you personally. You may bring an aide. No one else. And your mission is secret. Is that understood?" |
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Which road would Komarov choose, the newor the old? He is a hard-bitten, professional soldier, Cherny thought. He held his breath, awaiting Komarov's answer. |
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Komarov's voice was firm. "Yes, Mr. President." |
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Cherny let out a great sigh of relief. Thank God, he thought. "Come at once, General," Cherny said, and broke the connection. |
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For a full five minutes Cherny sat at his littered worktable, gazing at nothing. His heart beat heavily in his chest. He could feel the pulse behind his eyes. He could see it, as well, together with swimming dark spots at the edges of his field of vision. By Jesus the Christos and his Holy Virgin Mother, he thought, am I having a stroke? |
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The telephone on his desk rang urgently, just once. He stared at it blankly. There was a five-second pause, then it began to ring again, this time with the urgent bell tone, the |
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