Hail Warning

Philippine Sea — Aboard the Hail Nucleus

After the video link from the White House Situation Room to the Hail Nucleus had terminated, Hail turned to Kara and asked, “Did you know about this thing before the meeting?”

Kara responded with an edge of ire in her tone.

“Know about what thing?”

“Know that they were going to do this turn Kornev into a spy for the USA thing?”

Kara softened a little and responded, “No, I didn’t, but it makes good sense.”

“Oh, yeah,” Hail shot back, his voice thick with sarcasm. “Just let the devil sell his weapons with the understanding that he will give the United States a little intel when it suits him. What a sweet deal that would be?”

“It’s not a deal. It’s a new way of life for Kornev. He won’t like it one little bit. You can count on that.”

“How can you trust him?” Hail asked

“We won’t be able to trust him, initially. Trust is a thing that’s earned over time. Kind of like you and me and not something that is accepted with blind faith.”

“You mean like how you trust me?” Hail asked.

“If you are being facetious, then I would turn that around. I’ve been on this ship for months, and I still don’t think you trust me more than the first day I arrived.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Hail said. “I simply don’t trust the CIA in general.”

“Big diff,” Kara said, still bordering on having an all-out confrontation with Marshall Hail.

Hail must have sensed that this topic was going nowhere but downhill, so he decided to change the subject.

“Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that we decided to try to turn Kornev into an obedient servant of the United States government. How do you think we would accomplish such a monumental task?”

“Well, if I were to guess, you would perform the task thousands of miles away using your remote drones. But, in this case, that scenario will not work.”

“Why not?”

“Because men like Kornev aren’t afraid of weapons. Hell, his entire life revolves around weapons. Each time he walks into an arms deal, he runs the risk of not walking back out with his life. No, Kornev would not be afraid of your drones.”

“OK, so what is he afraid of?”

“He’s afraid of the men behind the weapons. The high-ranking terrorists who command the men who use the weapons. After all, guns don’t kill people. People kill people.”

“That’s original,” Hail said, “so, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I have an idea of how we can get Kornev to see things our way, but one thing I know for sure is it will involve you getting some skin in the game. You need to be there, face-to-face with Kornev. He needs to know you. He needs to respect you.”

“Can I kill him?” Hail asked, sounding like a kid who was asking his parents if he could get a cotton candy at the fair.

Kara rolled her eyes and said, “I’m serious. We can get him to roll over, but he needs to know who is behind the plan. He has to respect you or he won’t play ball.”

Hail was quiet for a moment.

Kara wondered what he was thinking.

“Are you scared?” Kara asked.

“Are you?” Hail responded.

“I’m not scared of dying, if that’s what you’re asking.” Kara said honestly.

“The only thing that scares me is letting people down,” Hail said. “There are a lot of people, a lot of kids who depend on me, and I’m not sure how all that would work out if someone like Kornev was able to get the drop on me.”

“Well, then we can’t let that happen, can we?”

“Nope,” Hail said. “So, what’s your plan?”

“I don’t suppose you have two folding chairs and a card table on board, do you?”

“Yes,” Hail told her, somewhat amused with Kara’s question.

“Good, then all we need to do is send an e-mail to Kornev, and we’re ready to rock and roll.”