Hail Warning

White House Oval Office — Washington, D.C

All the principal players assembled to discuss the various covert operations currently underway. Some of these operations were known to the president. The more nefarious ones she could claim plausible deniability.

The CIA and NIA had a lot of irons in the fire. Operation Hail Warning had been relegated as an interesting development, but it did not top the list of significance when compared to war, hostile engagements, interdictions into sovereign countries and teams of black ops specialists — both U.S. branded as well as other countries. There were a lot of chess pieces on the board and they were in continuous motion.

After discussing the more fluid covert ops in play, the group of Washington’s power players finally circled back to Operation Hail Warning. By this time, the president’s nerves were wearing thin and she had very little patience.

“Good news,” said the director of the CIA. He began debriefing everyone regarding the status of Operation Hail Warning. Pepper checked his notes and continued, “It appears that we have successfully turned Victor Kornev.”

The president looked happy or maybe she was relieved to hear some good news. She smiled pleasantly. Addressing Pepper, “Please, tell us all about it.”

Pepper pretended to look at more notes on his iPad, but he wasn’t interested in the situation report that Kara had called in — he didn’t have it available on his tablet. She had ignored protocol — she hadn’t typed it up or entered it into the CIA database. Pepper was just winging it.

“My operator, Ramey, was successful in not only turning Victor Kornev into a CIA asset, but also she was able to immediately put him to work. She penetrated the heavily secured compound of Afua Diambu. He was #2 in rank on our Top Ten Terrorists list. It was reported that following a firefight, Ramey was able to kill Diambu.”

The president neither looked shocked or angry that Kara — and, in extension, the CIA — had acted without first obtaining her permission. The president didn’t immediately say anything, so Pepper quickly added, “It was Ramey’s call. She saw an opportunity and she took it.”

“Has there been any fallout?” President Weston asked Pepper.

“Nothing we have been able to discern,” Pepper said. He turned to his counterpart in the NIA, Eric Spearman.

“Everything is quiet on our end,” Spearman confirmed.

“Where is Ramey?” the president asked. “Is she still in Nigeria?”

Pepper winced. He was hoping that the whereabouts of his CIA operative would not come up in this briefing.

“Well, we don’t know where Ramey is, currently.”

The present narrowed her gaze at Pepper.

“What do you mean, we don’t know where she is? She has a cellphone and a compact with a communication device attached. She has a laptop, iPad and access to a SAT phone. Hell, the only thing Ramey doesn’t have is a satellite dish sticking out of her ear. Yet, you are telling me you don’t know where she is. That’s unacceptable. Isn’t it your job requirement, as her handler, to know her whereabouts at all times?”

“We are sure it’s just a situational communication issue. Probably a proximity issue with where she is located. I’m sure she’ll check in soon.”

Seeing his answer hadn’t satisfied the president, Pepper added, “Hail reported that drones spotted Kornev’s cargo plane land in Termez, Uzbekistan. Kara was tracked to Kornev’s home.”

That additional information seemed to appease the president.

She flashed a that’s OK for now smile and told Pepper. “Sounds like your team did some good work, Jarret. But how is our friend, Marshall Hail and his merry team of assassins?”

Pepper didn’t like the question, but then he didn’t like Hail.

“I think he’s happy that Ramey was able to take out Diambu. After all, that’s what gets him up in the morning. The whole ‘seeking vengeance for The Five’ thing.”

Weston asked, “I guess that means we don’t have to pay another bounty to Mr. Hail?”

“I don’t think so,” Pepper said, hoping that no one else had anything to add.

Trevor Rodgers had been listening to all the bull that Pepper had been spouting. He could no longer tolerate Pepper’s lies.

“That is not the impression Hail left me in the e-mail that he sent me this morning. He asked when he could pick up his check for killing Diambu. He also requested the whereabouts of the next terrorist on our Top Ten Terrorists list. That is, if we have good current intel to share with him.”

The president looked warily at Pepper.

“Jarret, did you tell me everything I needed to know about Operation Hail Warning?”

“I told you all the information I had. Ramey said she was literally right next to Afua Diambu when he was taken out, but Hail was hundreds of miles away.”

“Then why would Hail request the bounty we had on Afua Diambu?”

Pepper simply shook his head as if didn’t understand Hail’s insistence either.

Rodgers added, “Hail asked to meet with you as soon as your schedule would permit, Madam President.”

The president looked annoyed. “I’ll see what my schedule looks like, but at least now the Rose Garden is covered, I don’t have to worry about Mr. Hail flying some gizmo onto my table again. For that, we can be thankful.”