Zhena (Sample Chapters) - Michael Pennington (best free e reader .TXT) 📗

wanted a snack.”
“Michelle, you know dinner will be ready soon.
Can’t you see mommy’s making it?” she said
pointing to the vegetables she had been cutting on
the counter.
“I know mommy, but Janet went home and now
I’m bored.”
“Where’s your brother?”
“That’s a silly question, he’s on his computer.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “Go tell him I said he needs
some time away from that machine and that he
should play outside with you until dinner’s ready.”
“But Mommy, Tommy’s boring to play with.”
“Just do it young lady. He needs time in the sun
and I need you out of my kitchen.”
“Okay Mommy. Tommy!” she screamed as she
ran out of the kitchen.
Well that ought to keep them busy for at least a
few minutes. As she went back to her chopping, she
could practically count down to the inevitable
argument.
“Mom!” yelled her twelve-year-old son. “Do I
have to take the brat outside?”
“I am not a brat!”
“Don’t call your sister a brat. Now both of you go
outside and play quietly until dinner or there’ll be
no computer or TV for either of you!”
The inevitable groans ensued, but she knew the
argument was over. On only a few occasions had
her children tested her to see if she was serious.
They had quickly learned that she always was.
“Mommy, when’s daddy coming home?” asked
her youngest as she and her brother walked past her
towards the backyard.
“Sweetie, you know the answer, just look at the
calendar.”
“I like to count the days left with you Mommy”
she giggled.
“Oh brother,” moaned Tommy as he trudged out
the back door.
“Oh well,” Susan thought, “He is almost a
teenager.” Tommy was just starting to hit puberty.
He had grown several inches while Bill had been
gone. Bill probably wouldn’t recognize him.
Tommy had brown hair and blue eyes like his
mother but he would definitely have his father’s
thin build along with his extremely good memory
and ability to reason.
“All right sweetie, let’s look at the calendar. What
is today?”
“There!” she said pointing at the date.
“Yes, which makes today what?”
“Tuesday, the 26th of September?”
“Very good, and what day is Daddy coming
home?”
“Monday the 8th of October.” Her six-year-old
daughter had memorized the day as soon as her
father had left.
“That’s right honey. Now, how many days are in
between?”
“Fourteen?”
“Try counting on the calendar.”
“Oh, twelve,” she said after counting out the days.
“That’s right. Now go and play with your
brother.”
“Only twelve days to Daddy!” she screamed as
she ran out the door. Unlike Tommy, Michelle took
after her mother. She had brown hair and brown
eyes and similar facial features to Susan. There was
no doubt she was her daughter in spirit and
appearance. She also had Susan’s personality and
agility. She was very outgoing and had a lot of
friends. She had also recently shown an interest in
gymnastics and her coach said she had a lot of
potential. Although she was still a child, Susan
already knew what a handful she would be when
she became a teenager.
Yes, just twelve days until Bill gets home. This
was part of the life of being married to a
submariner. Six-month deployments were
something you had to deal with. Although she was
used to them, she certainly didn’t like them. At least
this would be his last one for a while as he was
nearly done with his XO or second in command
tour on the USS Hartford.
After returning, Bill would be on the phone with
his detailer. They had recently learned he had been
selected for promotion to Commander as well as
command of his own submarine. Although that
would be a few years off, it did set his career path
for quite a while. He first had to negotiate a shore
duty for the next two years. It would probably be
something around Washington DC. Neither of them
wanted to go there, but it was a necessary evil. The
traffic and the housing prices just did not appeal to
her. She’d definitely miss living in Groton,
Connecticut.
During the whole time they had been married, she
had never considered any other life. While she
hated for her husband to be away, this just seemed
so natural. Even when they met, she just knew he
was the man for her. They had both attended Purdue
University as engineering students and met at a
party. Bill however was also enrolled in the ROTC
program, which stood for Reserve Officers Training
Corps, and as a result, he would become a naval
officer after graduation. After they were married she
followed him around the world and never really got
to use her degree. She had grown up in an
orphanage so she had no family tying her to any one
location. It didn’t bother her though; she knew this
was what she was meant to do. It was funny how
that always seemed like a mantra.
As she continued preparing dinner, she looked out
the window and waved to her friend Lois Arlington.
Lois was also a navy wife. Susan lived in
government housing, so everyone was somehow
connected to the military. Lois’ husband, Al, was on
a different submarine and unlike Bill had spent most
of his time in the shipyard. Susan had always
encouraged her husband to stay operational to help
his career. It just seemed like the natural thing to do.
Submarines were supposed to be at sea right?
“Hey Susan, I hope Janet wasn’t too much
trouble,” said Lois and she walked by.
“Of course not. She kept Michelle busy and let me
get some housework done. I even got in a workout.”
Susan always worked hard to stay in shape. For a
thirty-eight year old who had two kids, she felt she
looked pretty good. She was five-feet nine with
dark brown hair that she normally kept stylish but
short. She could run five miles while barely
breaking a sweat and also lifted weights a few days
a week. She had blue eyes and was often told she
had a pretty face. She wasn’t gorgeous, just pretty.
Bill always told her she was the most beautiful
woman in the world, which was fine with her, but
she never liked to stand out. She preferred to look
nice but blend in with the crowd. She always felt
comfortable dressing as the stereotypical soccer
mom but she knew with a little work and makeup
she could turn herself into one of the hottest women
in the room, though she rarely did.
“I wish I had your figure,” said Lois. Lois was a
few years older than Susan. Her husband had started
as an enlisted man before becoming an officer so
they had more time in the Navy even though Bill
was a higher rank. Lois was by no means
overweight but she was never able to stay in as
good a shape as Susan. She was five-eight with red
hair and brown eyes and wore glasses. Sometimes
she tried to give herself a makeover but always
seemed to end up looking like what she was, an
ordinary woman trying to look like a supermodel.
On more than one occasion she commented on how
Susan seemed to look right for any occasion but she
herself always seemed to look the same. She wasn’t
really jealous. They had been friends too long for
that. Instead she was just a little envious of Susan’s
inherent ability to know what to wear and how to
act in any situation. However, since they spent most
of their time shuttling kids around and seeing other
Navy wives their situation rarely changed.
“Say, do you want to go and get a coffee later?”
“Sure. Do you think Alison can baby sit?”
“Sure she will. She won’t like it, but she’ll do it.”
Alison was Lois’ older daughter of sixteen. It was
Tuesday night so she most likely wouldn’t have
something keeping her busy. “Should I pick you up
around seven-thirty?”
“Sounds good, see you then.”


Iosef knew the time was right. He had spent
several days conducting reconnaissance and
reviewing procedures. There was a bottle of vodka
and a blank folder on his desk. He knew which one
he wanted to reach for, but he also knew which one
he should reach for. He thought for a few moments
about his father and his grandfather and how proud
they would be once he succeeded. This allowed him
to force down the urge and reach for the folder.
It had taken several days to track down the first
three subjects. He had spent several days in
Washington at the embassy conducting research.
Officially he was there as a data miner on American
demographics. This allowed him to use their
database of names and addresses to look for the
people he needed to find. It had taken three weeks
but he found the location of all the original
members. Luckily, two of the first three lived near
each other. He then decided to shift his base of
operations to Connecticut. He had decided to
contact Sasha first. Her file said she was designated
to be the lead primary. If something went wrong
one of the other two could take over, but the
preference was for her to take charge. After
spending several days observing her and monitoring
her communications he was convinced enemy
agents weren’t monitoring her. It appeared the cover
had held all these years.
He opened the folder and reviewed the procedure
again. He had read it at least a dozen times in the
last few days. He wished he had someone else to
back him and double check the procedure. That is
what he had always been taught, never trust
yourself, and rely on your comrades to ensure
success. Only through teamwork and a
relinquishment of individuality could true success
be achieved. However he was alone. The
importance and covertness of the mission required
this.
When he was convinced he could recite the
procedure forward and backward he knew he was
ready. He didn’t want to admit it even to himself
but he was nervous. He told himself the shaking in
his hands as he reached for the phone was
excitement not fear. He glanced at the vodka bottle
again, but quickly dismissed the idea. After he
dialed the number he attached the handset to a
device and picked up a stopwatch. It was finally
beginning.


Susan returned to preparing dinner. Just before
she was ready to call the children, the phone rang.
The caller id showed it as an unknown number. It
was probably a telemarketer. They didn’t get very
many because they were on the national do not call
list. Normally she would simply