Hail Warning

Southern Egypt — Abandoned Airfield

Hail and Kara sat in the sand under the shade from Kornev’s cargo plane. They had allowed Kornev to go inside to sit in his plane. There was nothing left to do but wait for the missiles to make their return trip from Batman. With Renner gone, the drone that was guarding Kornev was now being operated by Dallas, physically located in the security center on the Hail Nucleus. U2 had followed Kornev into the plane. It had set down at the top of the plane’s ramp, watching Kornev who was sitting in his flight chair, trying to sleep.

Kara was still noticeably upset, and Hail didn’t know how to explain his actions. That left them sitting in the soft sand. Kara was brooding silently. Hail was fidgeting, drawing shapes in the sand with a stick.

Hail broke the silence saying, “I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t mean to expose your role as a CIA agent to Kornev.”

“Really?” Kara shot back sarcastically. “Calling him on my cellphone served one purpose, and it cannot be explained as an accident.”

Hail fumbled for the right words before saying, “I guess I just didn’t want you to be in the position where you had to sleep with him. I mean, we have all the information we need from him.”

“No, we don’t,” Kara countered, almost yelling. “Kornev knows who he sold the missiles to that took down the plane that killed my parents. After your little breakdown in judgement, I’m pretty sure he won’t be willing to share that information with me now.”

“And you seriously thought he would have told Tonya Merkalov because she was sleeping with him?”

Kara looked at Hail as if she were contemplating slapping him across the face.

“Marshall, just because you’re a man, don’t think for a moment that you understand them. If men think they are going to get laid, they will do some of the stupidest things you could ever imagine. Don’t forget, I am an expert at getting information out of people, and particularly out of men.”

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I don’t understand men, but that doesn’t change the fact I don’t want you to have to sleep with that scumbag just to get information from him.”

Kara softened a little and asked him in a tone saturated with innocence, “And why is that, Marshall? Is it because you have developed a little crush on me? You like me, is that what you are trying to tell me?”

Hail didn’t appreciate Kara’s patronizing tone, but he told her, “I think you know that I like you.” In contrast to Kara’s insolent demeanor, Hail’s admission sounded more like submission.

“That is so sweet,” Kara said contemptuously. “But that doesn’t give you the right to put me in jeopardy. Do you realize what Kornev could have done to me in that plane if I hadn’t taken his gun from him?”

“Nonsense,” Hail told her. “Kornev was staring at the back end of a drone with two LOCO missiles. He didn’t have any choice but to do what I told him, and roughing you up or killing you wouldn’t have done him any good. Kornev may be a lot of things, but stupid he’s not.”

“But that’s not up to you to make those calculated decisions. I have a job to do. And not letting me in on your screwed-up plans goes against everything I have trained for and everything I have put myself through. Just because you have— you have—” Kara looked for the right words, “—feelings for me, doesn’t give you the right to mess with my life.”

Hail let out a big exasperated breath and then took in an equally deep one.

“Do you care about me?” Hail asked. This was perhaps the first time since the demise of his wife and children he had truly cared about the answer. It was important for this woman to care about him. Other than the fact that she was gorgeous, and he liked her, he didn’t understand why now it was so important to him that she return his feelings.

Just as Kara was getting ready to answer Hail’s question, off in the distance, she saw Hail’s Gulfstream approach.

“There’s Renner and Nolan,” Kara said, pointing into the bright afternoon sky. “Saved by the missiles,” Kara thought, relieved, but the irony was not lost on her.

Hail waited to see if Kara would answer his question. It became apparent she was now all business, so he walked toward the ramp of Kornev’s plane. Regardless how Kara felt about him, the mission, Kornev or the entire plan, it was time to get the show on the road.

The Gulfstream touched down with the grace of a ballet dancer on the unforgiving surface of the abandoned airfield.

Kara stood. Kornev, Hail and the flying drone emerged from the plane. As the Gulfstream rolled toward the group, Hail watched Nolan, who was flying the jet, do his best to steer the jet around the potholes in the runway. Thirty yards from the group, the plane came to a stop. The jet’s engines began to die away, and the side door of the Gulfstream opened. Renner disembarked, carrying a black missile case followed by Nolan with the other case.

The drone, U2, had been flying next to Kornev. However, it suddenly grew legs and set down, keeping its airsoft gun trained on the Russian. Kornev looked at the drone and rubbed the welts it had left on his throat.

Nolan and Renner reached Hail’s group. Hail asked, “How did it go?”

Renner responded, “Good. The programming bit heads on the Hail Nucleus came through with the guidance code firmware mods, and we were able to upload the new code into both warheads.”

“What type of mods did they make to the guidance code?” Kornev asked.

“Nothing you need to know about, dickhead,” Marshall told him. “We’ll tell you what you need to know, but only when you need to know it. Until that time, keep your mouth shut.”

Hail turned toward the drone. “U2: Fire two center mass.”

The drone snapped to life, and before Kornev could scream, “No!” the drone popped two plastic balls out its muzzle and into the Russian’s side.

It took everything Kornev had not to cry out in pain. He would be damned if he would give Hail the pleasure. He gritted his teeth and placed his hand over the two new welts growing beneath his polo shirt.

Hail turned back to Renner, who was smiling at Hail’s overtly callous actions toward the Russian arms dealer.

“Man, that’s gotta hurt like a bitch,” Renner said. “Five hundred feet per second and only three feet away. Hell, if it wasn’t for your shirt, I bet those pellets would be stuck in your skin.”

Kornev began to say something, but Hail waggled a finger at him.

“Remember, no talking unless I ask you something,” Hail warned.

“So, this is what you are going to do,” Hail informed Kornev. “We are going to load all the missiles back onto your plane, and you’re going to deliver them to Diambu. Remember, we will be watching, so no funny stuff. The next time you decide to get cute, those won’t be plastic BB’s.”

Kornev began to say something, but then he looked warily at the drone. He slowly raised his hand to be recognized.

Hail looked amused and said, “Yes, does the big, dumb Russian kid in the backrow have a question?”

Kornev, with his teeth still clinched tightly, asked, “I don’t suppose you are going to tell me what you did to the missiles?”

“Not now,” Hail told him. “But we have your phone number, and we will text you that information if we feel it is something you need to know. And by the way, don’t tell Diambu about the missile modifications, or I will kill you. Do you understand?”

Kornev nodded begrudgingly.

“Get the missiles loaded and get going,” he told Kornev.

Kara surprised all of them by saying, “I’m going, too.”

“What?” Hail heard himself ask before he realized he’d spoken.

“I’m going, too,” Kara repeated herself, saying each word slow and loud, as if Hail was hard of hearing.

Hail wanted to tell her, “No, you’re not,” but he caught himself before stepping into that bear trap. Instead, he sucked in an exasperated breath and ended up asking Kara, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“It’s my job, Marshall. I’m an undercover agent, and no CIA agent worth one’s salt would turn down the opportunity to get on the inside of a terrorist group like Boko Haram. And when I mean, on the inside, I’m talking being in the leader’s home.”

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea. We only have limited reach and obviously can’t have a drone like Milky Way or U2 flying around his home to protect you without attracting attention.”

Kara said, “God only knows what type of intelligence I can get on the organization. Remember, there is so little known about Afua Diambu. Hell, we barely know how many people are in his family, let alone much about his organization’s strength and locations. It’s too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

Hail gave Renner a look, letting him know Hail wanted the opportunity to speak with Kara, privately.

“Please make sure that Kornev gets the missiles loaded,” he instructed Renner.

“Let’s go guys,” Renner said, handing the black case to Kornev. They began walking towards the cargo plane with U2 tagging behind them.

Hail looked at Kara, shook his head and bunched up his face.

“I don’t want you to go, Kara. And I know that sounds corny and probably chauvinistic, but I really don’t want you to go.” Hail didn’t know what else to say.

He understood if he told her not to go she would only dig her heels in further, and she would want to go even more. She was wired that way.

Kara placed her hand along Hail’s strong face. She stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a soft kiss on his lips.

“This is what I signed up for, Marshall. It’s what I do — at least it’s what I do for now. Maybe in the future, things will change, or I will change and outgrow this need to avenge my parents’ deaths. But for right now, it’s really all I can think about.”

Kara smiled and took Hail’s hands in hers.

“Hell, look at us Marshall. We are standing in the middle of a desert in nowhere Egypt because revenge is all either of us can think about. If anyone in the world can understand my motivations, it has to be you.”

Hail released Kara’s soft moist hands. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and drew her in. He leaned in and gave her a hard, long passionate kiss. Then he released her and then let her go.

Kara looked surprised by Hail’s kiss.

Hail looked at her, his blue eyes as serious as Kara had ever seen them.

Hail said, “If you are going with Kornev, you need to know what we did to the missiles.”