USSR Hoax

12 ONE GIANT LEAP

The savory smell of hamburgers cooking over the open flame was making Tom’s stomach growl. He waved his hand through the gathering smoke as he started his second round flipping the burgers. The sizzling sound of the juices falling into the flame enticed his senses. He was given the job of overseeing the grilling while David vanished into his house to get a couple of desperately needed beers. After Tom’s demanding and emotional week, he needed quality time with his family and friends. Not only had he made a life-changing decision in accepting the dangerous operation offered by Dick, but the week also included addressing Anne’s suspicions that he had been unfaithful. A relaxing barbeque at the Grants’ home on a perfect Sunday afternoon was just what he needed.

A soft female voice came from behind. “Please put cheese slices on half of the burgers.”

Tom turned and gave an understanding wave to David’s wife. “Got it.”

Joan and Anne were both dressed in colorful sundresses, sitting across from each other at the picnic table, chirping away. Occasionally they would bring their voices down to a whisper, obviously discussing something in private, involving Tom or David, no doubt.

“Here’s a cold brew, my friend.”

Tom turned back to see David holding a pair of opened beers. Tom eagerly grabbed one of the bottles. “Thanks, buddy.”

A snicker came from David.

After taking a big gulp, Tom tilted his head. “What’s so funny?”

David took a moment before saying, in an amused tone, “When I walked into the kitchen, I heard a noise under the sink. Thinking it was a mouse, I reached for the broom so I could whack the hell out of the critter. I tip-toed over to the cabinet and bent down, cocking the broom handle way back. But when I flung open the door ready to smack the broom at the slightest movement, I saw something that made me hold back.” With a smirk on his face, David purposely held off finishing the story, building up suspense while he casually took a sip of his beer.

Tom sensed a punchline coming. “So what did you find?”

David wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, “Your four-year-old boy.”

Tom chuckled. “What was Peter doing under your sink?”

“Apparently he and Ashley were playing hide-and-go-seek. I think I scared the crap out of him. You should have seen his big eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and calmly brought his finger to his mouth, signaling me to keep quiet and close the door.”

“So you let him stay there?”

“Absolutely. I didn’t want to take away his great hiding place. Besides, I figured he’ll scare away the mice.”

Tom smiled.

David positioned himself so he could oversee the grilling. “By the way, I invited Dusty and his family to join us.”

Being one of the potential Lunar Module Pilots on Dick’s list, the timing was perfect for Tom to get to know the young astronaut better and determine if he might be a good fit for his crew. Even though Dusty Robinson lived only a few houses down the street, Tom never ran into the guy. What little Tom knew about Dusty was that he was a former Navy man who joined NASA as part of the fifth group of astronauts. He was currently working on the Apollo Applications Program, which Tom felt was a dead-end job. “Great. He seems like a nice guy.”

“He’s a hoot. Always good for a laugh.” David pointed at the burgers. “You may want to move some of those off the flame.”

Tom handed the spatula over to his friend. “Hey, you’re the master chef. Why don’t you take over?”

David happily obliged.

“Your wife suggested that half the burgers should have cheese.”

David accepted the order. “She’s the boss.”

Tom swiped the cold bottle of beer across his forehead to cool off before taking another big swig. Joan and Anne entered the house, giving the men some privacy. Tom said softly, “I have to tell you something that happened a few days ago.”

David looked up. “What?”

Glancing toward the door, Tom confirmed the ladies weren’t coming back. “Someone told Anne about Connie.”

David cocked an eyebrow. “Who’s Connie?”

Tom was surprised his friend didn’t know who he was talking about. Frustration colored his voice. “The blonde I hung out with at the bar over the weekend.”

“Oh. Who told?”

“I’m not certain, but I think it was Chris.”

“What an asshole.” David turned his attention back to the grill. “Well, all you did was have a few drinks with her, right?”

“Actually I took her to my room.”

David looked up, eyes wide. “You did?”

“But nothing happened.”

Focusing back on the grill, David flipped a couple of patties. “Really? She was pretty hot.”

“She was amazing. When we walked into the room she laid on the bed, looking unbelievably sexy and inviting. I knew right then I was in trouble if she stayed.”

David shook his head. “So you just kicked her out?”

“I guess, but in a nice way. It was hard.”

David laughed. “I know what was hard.”

Tom grinned at his friend’s joke.

After flipping a few more burgers, David patted Tom on the back. “Well good for you, buddy. So what did you tell Anne?”

“I told her the truth.”

David tilted his head slightly and said with a raised eyebrow. “And she believed you?”

“It took some convincing, but I think so.”

“Did Anne seem to know what else went on that night?”

Tom knew his friend was probing to find out if Anne knew about the brunette David had been with. “She only talked about the blonde. I bet if she knew anything else, especially anything involving you, she would have mentioned it.”

“Good.”

Tom looked toward the door to make sure the ladies weren’t returning. “But you should know, Joan did reveal to Anne that she is worried you might be fooling around.”

David stopped grilling and looked up with a concerned look. “Really? What made her say that?”

“No idea. Apparently the two had lunch together earlier in the week and Joan brought it up. I think she just suspects it at this point.”

“Damn.”

While downing some of the cold brew, Tom saw David staring at the house in silence. With sincerity, Tom said, “You have a wonderful family, David. Wouldn’t you hate to lose all of this?”

Dropping his head, David said in a grim voice, “No doubt, but like you said, it’s not easy. Especially with my training ramping up after the successful flight of Apollo 10. I’m hardly ever home, and when I am, there are a million things that need to be done. Bottom line, the excitement just isn’t there with Joan.”

Tom was pleased his wife still excited him. He was about to respond when the sliding glass door opened and out popped Dusty. He was tall and skinny, with auburn hair and freckles. He waved his arms, calling out, “Let the party begin.”

Tom smiled as Dusty crossed the patio with a beer already in hand.

David welcomed the neighbor. “Glad you could make it, Dusty. Did you bring the family?”

“I did. They’re inside. We appreciate the invite.”

“My pleasure.” David tipped his beer toward Tom. “Of course you know Tom?”

Dusty extended his hand. “We’ve sat in a few meetings together.”

Tom exchanged a firm handshake. “It’s good to see you, Dusty.”

Dusty took a drink of his beer. “So I saw you two were having an intense conversation. Did I interrupt anything?”

David resumed barbequing. “We were talking about wives and dealing with all the temptations we astronauts run into.”

“Well, I’m a newbie compared to you two, but I can still relate. Being married and being with only one woman can be tough. I like to compare it to a little boy who gets to pick from a variety pack of cereals every breakfast. Then one morning his mom tells him to pick his favorite brand and eat that the rest of his life. After a few years of eating that same damn cereal, no matter how good it was in the beginning, any other brand starts looking more interesting.”

Lifting his bottle and doing an imaginary toast, David responded, “Amen to that.”

Dusty continued. “But the trick is, to make that cereal more appealing, doctoring it up in some way, such as with toppings or eating it in a different manner.”

Tom chuckled, and though his wife wouldn’t like being compared to some Post Toasties, seeing Anne in a blonde wig would definitely be interesting. “I like that.”

Soon David had finished cooking the burgers and placed them all in a tin foil pan. “I’m going to take these in to the wife. Either one of you need another beer?”

Both men nodded before working their way over to the picnic table as David entered the home.

Tom took a seat and asked, “So how do you like being a part of APP?” The Apollo Applications Program was to develop future projects for the Saturn V rocket after the moon missions were completed. NASA wanted to take advantage of the available hardware by finding new programs the equipment could be used for, allowing the agency to stay flexible and keep the American people interested in the space program. This was paramount if the government funds were to keep coming. A couple of the ideas floating around for manned projects, such as a space station in Earth orbit or a lunar base on the moon, were exciting stuff, but years away.

Dusty had a lace of sarcasm in his voice as he answered. “Well, it’s the future of the program, which gives me a good shot at possibly living on the moon someday.”

Tom smiled. Dusty seemed to understand that a big question mark hung over the program. However, the rookie could be walking on the moon in a couple of years if Tom selected him for his crew. “Would you prefer to be a part of Apollo?”

“Of course, I’d love to fly to the moon. I’m sure every astronaut at NASA wishes he could get that opportunity. But as you know, there are only so many seats available, and I still haven’t figured out what I have to do to get one. I’m hoping David can give me some insight on how he got into the rotation. Until I know the trick, I’ll continue to happily take whatever Dick throws my way and try to do the best I can, hoping to stand out in some way.” Dusty took the last sip of his beer and put the empty bottle down. “But what worries me the most is seeing a top veteran like you not getting a seat. If someone with your experience can’t snag one, how in the world am I ever going to get on a flight?”

Tom was starting to think Dusty might be a good fit. “It’s frustrating for all of us who are not in the rotation. Dick is tough to figure out. It sounds like you’re doing all the right things, just keep doing the best you can and hang in there. That’s what I’m doing.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

Tom heard crying and saw David’s five-year-old daughter, Ashley, coming around from the side of the house with tears streaking down her cheeks.

Tom hopped up and hustled over to the barefoot little girl, to see if she was hurt.

Ashley looked up with her big green eyes floating in tears. “Do you know where my daddy is?”

Tom knelt down on one knee and put a consoling arm around the adorable girl. “He’s inside, sweetie. What’s the matter?”

“Peter is hiding and won’t come out. I keep calling for him.”

Tom chuckled at the little girl’s problem. He wondered if her eight-year-old brother was also playing. “Is David looking for him too?”

“No, he won’t play with us, and he won’t help me find Peter.”

Tom had to decide whether he should give up his son’s hiding place. Instead, he decided to give Ashley a little help. “Your daddy is in the kitchen. Tell you what, go in there and tell your daddy you saw big black spiders under the sink today.”

“I hate spiders.”

“Me too. So tell your dad and I bet you Peter will show up.”

The girl straightened her cute, yellow sunflower dress. “Okay.”

Tom walked back to the table as the girl left.

“Is Peter your boy?”

Tom smiled as he turned to Dusty. “He is.”

“Sounds like he’s already making the girls cry.”

“Yeah, but Ashley is going to set him straight.”

THAT’S ONE SMALL step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Those historic words kept repeating in Tom’s head as he lay on the partially reclined lounge chair in his empty backyard, mesmerized by the gleaming crescent moon floating high in the black night sky. The yard was dead quiet except for the occasional cricket chirp. Tom kept shaking his head in amazement. He still couldn’t believe men he knew were on the moon, probably sitting in the LM at that moment excitedly discussing their recent walk on the lunar surface. Those lucky sons of guns. Their feat was making it more plausible Tom would be doing the same soon, once he successfully plundered a small sample of their precious cargo from the LRL building after their return.

The sliding glass door opened, breaking Tom’s concentration.

“What are you doing out here, honey? It’s after 2:00 a.m.”

Tom watched his wife cross the patio barefoot in a long blue nightgown, her arms crossed tightly against her body. He was surprised she was up after she’d kissed him goodnight over an hour ago and headed off to bed. She had had a busy day supporting one of the Apollo 11 astronauts’ wives at her packed home a few streets over. Anne even took the lead in dealing with the press, making sure they kept their distance. Tom had been at mission control observing the flight before eventually joining Anne at the gathering. By the time Tom got there the place had a party atmosphere, celebrating the successful landing and EVA. The two stayed late to help clean up. By the time they got back home, Anne was exhausted.

Tom answered in a lively voice. “It’s tough to go to sleep knowing two men we know are on the surface of the moon. I just can’t believe we beat Kennedy’s deadline, and the world got to see it live on television.”

“Yes, it’s definitely an amazing feat. But like them, you need to get some sleep.”

Tom opened his legs so his wife could sit between them. “I will.” He patted the seat in front of him. “But first come join me.”

Tilting her head slightly, Anne seemed to be considering the offer. Tom patted the area again before she finally consented and walked over. She positioned herself on the lounge and slid back tightly against his chest. She put her head back on his shoulder as she looked skyward.

Wrapping his arms snugly around her, Tom looked back up at the moon. His voice was still full of excitement. “I betcha they’re having a hell of a time trying to get to sleep. Could you imagine looking out your widow and seeing a vast, untouched, alien wasteland surrounding you, beckoning you to come back out? It must be like some dream. How can anyone sleep with that outside?”

Anne answered casually, “That’s why they have sleeping pills. They’ve hardly slept over the last few days, and they have another busy day tomorrow.”

“They’ll be lucky if they get an hour’s worth tonight. I know when I’m up there, I’ll probably be too wired and excited to sleep.”

When Anne turned around, Tom was surprised to see that her eyes were filled with joy. “That’s the first time over the last year you’ve talked about being on the moon.” She gave him a hard slap on the chest. “Good for you. I’m glad you’re talking like that. I’ve always said you’ll be up there someday. Besides, there are no blondes there to tempt you.”

Tom laughed at the joke, a sign his wife had accepted his side of the story. “Hey, there’s only been one moonwalk. So you never know. There could still be a lady or two somewhere on the moon.”

Anne smiled, settling her head back on his shoulder.

Tom hugged his wife a little tighter. He wished he could open up on what his chances were to fly to the moon, but he couldn’t.

WHEN VIKTOR ENTERED the hazy conference room, he saw the same man from previous meetings that he suspected was a KGB agent. The man sat patiently alone smoking a cigarette at the middle of the long wooden table. He signaled for Viktor to close the door, which he did before taking a seat across from the man. The agent appeared agitated, which Viktor assumed was due to the Americans officially winning the space race. Ever since the moonwalkers returned safely back to Earth two weeks ago, the morale around Star City had been at an all-time low. The demoralizing defeat was tough for any Soviet to swallow.

With the N1 rocket blowing up on the pad earlier that month, Viktor wondered if flying to the moon was a lost dream. “You wanted to see me?”

The man took one last deep drag off his cigarette before smashing the butt hard into the ashtray. He opened a file in front of him before slowly blowing out the smoke in Viktor’s direction, eyeing him the whole time. “Can you believe there is an American flag, right now, on the moon?”

Ignoring the smoke, Viktor tried to stay positive. He shook his head. “It’s a shock, but the Americans did sign the moon treaty. At least that flag doesn’t symbolize the moon is now their territory.”

An edge of frustration tinged the agent’s voice. “What that flag symbolizes is the United States will probably be the lone superpower of the world someday soon.”

Surprised by the statement, Viktor still felt his country would continue to be a superpower and a leader in space. “We accomplished many amazing feats in space, beating the Americans many times. Being the first to the moon shouldn’t erase all of those achievements. Besides, we could still be the first to Mars.”

Not listening, the agent looked right past Viktor with a blank stare. “Too bad we didn’t blow up their spacecraft.”

Viktor raised an eyebrow at that comment, wondering what the man meant. “Excuse me?”

The agent stayed in his trance. He seemed to drop his guard as he spoke in sadness. “The general secretary instructed us to do whatever we could to prevent the Americans from succeeding. We fired off a Luna spacecraft that had a laser weapon on board to chase down the Apollo 11 spacecraft. The plan was to destroy the Command Module while the astronauts were on the moon, basically leaving them to die. Such devastation would definitely have snatched victory from the Americans’ hands, essentially shutting down their space program. We would have soon been victors of the Cold War. But instead, the Luna spacecraft failed, crashing into the moon.”

Viktor sat stunned hearing about the secret plan. All the cosmonauts knew of the Luna 15 mission, figuring it was sent to retrieve lunar samples robotically. This was the first he had heard a weapon was onboard. He assumed the agent felt comfortable opening up since Viktor worked on the laser project when he first joined the program. At the time, he had no idea what its intended purpose was. Hearing the purpose was to try to assassinate American astronauts greatly disturbed him. As much as he wanted his country to win the space race, killing innocent spacemen purely for political reasons strayed way beyond what he thought was right. Those men were explorers just like him, trying to expand the reach of all mankind into the cosmos. A part of Viktor was glad the Luna mission had failed, even if it meant losing out on his own moon flight. He tried to keep a steady face as he responded firmly, “I believe they landed for all mankind, just as the astronaut stated.”

“That was a propaganda statement. We can’t trust the Americans. That’s why I called you in here.” The agent opened his briefcase and pulled out a pair of dark-rimmed reading glasses, sliding them over to Viktor. “You will be the man to receive the lunar material from the Americans. A neutral site for the transaction will be determined later. These KGB-issued glasses have a micro camera in them. I want you to learn how to use these without looking obvious. You will be taking pictures of the American astronaut as he passes the material over.”

Viktor took the glasses. He figured any cosmonaut wearing them would look suspicious, but he kept this to himself. “Why am I taking pictures?”

“We want proof the Americans handed over the material in case they claim we stole it.”

“When will this take place?”

“We haven’t been given a firm date yet, probably within the next couple of months. Part of the holdup was due to the Americans being upset we sent the Luna spacecraft while the Apollo 11 mission was going on. The agreement was for the robotic mission to fly after we secretly received the lunar material. Of course they had no idea a weapon was on board the spacecraft. They assumed we were just trying to retrieve a sample. We informed them a mix-up took place between the agencies. They finally accepted it as an honest mistake and agreed to secretly pass over the lunar material. Luna 16 will be the mission we will use to pull off the hoax.”

Viktor was disappointed the agency even had to go through with the plan. He was sure the engineers would eventually figure out how to return lunar soil samples. “What will my official reason be for meeting with an astronaut?”

“We will say the two countries are working on a future joint space mission. The meeting is to promote the idea.”

Considering the Soviets weren’t going to the moon anytime soon, this could be Viktor’s chance to get into space. “Will there be such a mission?”

“Good question. Possibly. If so, I would recommend you for the prime crew if you are successful with the transfer.”

Viktor stoically nodded, suppressing his joy at the possibility.

WITH THE THREE-WEEK mandatory quarantine completed by the Apollo 11 crew and the lunar material passing the initial testing for any contamination, Tom assumed his private meeting with Dick was to discuss the top-secret details on how he was going to steal lunar material. After entering the well-lit office, Tom took the initiative to close and lock the door.

“Have a seat, Tom.”

Tom walked over to the chair across from his boss. He understood, once the specifics of the operation were laid out, he would be considered an accessory to a crime, regardless whether he carried it out or not. He did his best to keep his cool as he took a seat. “So what did you want to see me about?”

Even with his door shut, Dick lowered his voice to barely an audible level. “I want to discuss the operation, which is now being called Red Drop. It was officially approved, and I’ve been given the final details on how you’re going to get the lunar sample.”

Tom was all ears.

Dick never wavered from his serious expression. “You should know Red Drop was almost canceled after the Soviets launched Luna 15 shortly after we launched Apollo 11. The Russians were supposed to hold off until our men returned. Apparently they tried to land the craft on the moon, but instead it crashed. Because only a few here at NASA are in the know about Red Drop, there was confusion whether we should still proceed with the operation. But we were finally given the Go.”

Tom figured the Soviets were trying a last-ditch effort to use their unmanned spacecraft to bring back samples of their own, maybe even beating Apollo 11 back to Earth. He was relieved the Luna mission failed, keeping his chances alive of walking on the moon. “Good.”

Dick opened up a file on his desk, studying the contents in silence for a moment. He cleared his throat, then brought his eyes up slowly. In a soft, yet direct tone, he said, “Senator Olson will be arriving next Tuesday for the day. You will be the one to show him around the facility in the late afternoon, with your last stop at the LRL building. The two of you are scheduled to be in the building’s lobby at four o’clock. For security reasons, there will be two men giving you the tour. One of those men will be in on the plan.”

Curious who that was, Tom started to ask.

Dick raised his hand as if to stop Tom. “Don’t ask me who it is. I don’t even know. He wants his identity kept secret.”

That could make things tricky.

Dick looked back down at the file and continued, “After touring most of the building, you and the senator will put on clean room attire over your clothes before being taken into the Sample Area, where most of the lunar material is stored. While in this vault, Senator Olson will be told he has an important phone call from Washington and will be escorted out. The man left with you should be our guy and will look the other way. Since the Senator will be told the call was lost, we figure you’ll have probably thirty seconds to a minute to nab the sample before they return. The sample will be in the black safe. The combination will already be dialed in, so all you have to do is turn the handle and open it. There will be a small Bolt-Top Container labeled RD that has the lunar soil. That is the one you snag. Then close the safe. It will self-lock. Because the container will be noticeable in the pocket of a pair of pants, you’ll need to wear your flight suit and slip it in one of the larger pockets.”

Tom shrugged in accord as he repositioned himself on the wooden seat. The BTC steel containers were the primary transport device for lunar material when leaving the building for examination or testing, always under tight security. The container held an atmosphere of pure nitrogen gas that protected the material from contamination. “Got it, but you know the senator will be in a coat and tie. How am I going to explain being in a flight suit?”

“Hey, you’re a NASA astronaut.” Dick looked out the window for a second. “But you’re probably right. It might draw suspicion. I’ll schedule you for some T-38 flight time that Tuesday.”

Tom nodded. “That should explain it. What about the technicians in the area?”

“That’s why this is happening in the late afternoon. It’s my understanding the laboratory will be cleared out for the senator.” Dick leaned back in his chair. “You will need to get the sample off the grounds and keep it in your possession. Do you have a secure place to store it at home?”

“I have a private safe I can put it in.”

“Perfect. Once you have successfully pulled this off, we will be given the specifics on how the sample will be passed on to the Soviets.” An anxious look of uncertainty filled his boss’s eyes, making Tom nervous. “Again, this is serious shit, especially with a senator there. So if anything seems out of place or is not going as planned, I want you calling it off. We can’t afford you getting caught. If you do, you will be on your own, and your career will certainly be over.”

Tom realized the risks involved. He also knew this was his only shot at the moon. “Understood.”