Hail Warning

Rond Point Port — Aboard the Hail Proton

Using the drone, Milky Way, named after a candy bar Kara enjoyed, Hail’s team tracked Kara to Kornev’s place. The Hummer had only been in the garage for about fifteen minutes before it exited. The drone, Milky Way, had landed on the roof across from Kornev’s house. It had an excellent vantage point of the property. It had an integrated solar array atop its carbon fiber cover to maintain its charge.

“Kornev’s Hummer is leaving his garage,” Jason Wilson told Hail.

Hail had relieved Captain Nichols in the mission control room and was sitting in the big chair, waiting, on the off-chance Kara needed him.

“Follow him,” Hail told the pilot.

“That’s a negative, Skipper,” the pilot told him. “I used up almost all the drone’s juice just flying from the airport to Kornev’s house. We need at least an hour to recharge before we can fly again — depending on cloud cover.”

Hail already knew that Foreigner was low on fuel, and it had been recalled to the Hail Proton.

“But we can’t lose the Hummer,” Hail complained although he realized it was out of the pilot’s hands.

“You tell me what you want to do, Marshall. I will fly this thing until it dies and lands in the street if that’s what you want — it’s your drone.”

Hail knew he couldn’t allow that because it would be a waste of a wonderful and expensive drone. And he didn’t want his technology to fall into the wrong hands.

Hail said nothing. He was very frustrated. He had dozens of drones in his fleet, yet he had nothing available to follow the Hummer.

“It’s my fault,” Hail told the pilot. “I should have sent Foghat there sooner. I just didn’t expect them to leave this quickly.”

The drone’s camera began panning to the left, following the Hummer as it turned the corner and disappeared.

“Did we see who was inside?” Hail asked hopefully.

“That’s a negative, Skipper. The tint on the Hummer is too dark to see anything from the rear of the vehicle.”

Hail shook his head and mumbled a single word to himself, “Dammit.”