Operation Hail Storm

Sea of Japan ― on the cargo ship Hail Nucleus

Instead of food, Hail escorted Kara to the Officer’s Club. Since there were no officers on the ship, the bar was occupied by the exact number of people that Hail wanted. Zero. He needed to clear the air with Ms. Ramey and he didn’t need anyone gawking at them, especially if things got ugly.

Kara looked around. She had never seen the bar or for that matter even knew it existed.

“I thought you were hungry?” she asked.

“I’m a little too wound up to eat right now.”

Kara sat at the bar on a stool that had a thick red cushion and a tall wooden back.

Hail went around to the other side of the bar and began mixing up a concoction of some type.

“What are you making?” she asked.

Without looking up, Hail said, “Something strong. Hopefully strong enough so that you and I will catch a buzz and be able to level with one another.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Kara said.

“If you haven’t noticed, living is dangerous.”

Hail squeezed a lemon into two glasses.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the backup plan?” he asked.

“Why are you secretly monitoring and recording all my phone calls?” Kara responded.

Hail looked up at her and still holding a lemon, he shook his fist at her in frustration.

“See, that’s what I mean. I try to have an honest talk and we can’t get past the first two sentences.”

Lemon juice leaked from his grip on to the bar.

“Wow, did we somehow get married when I wasn’t looking?” Kara laughed.

Hail made an exasperated face, dropped the lemon in the sink, and went back to pouring different colors of liquor into the two martini glasses.

Kara said, “Marshall, you know I work for the CIA. You also know that much of what we do is done on the down low. It’s not like I’m trying to be secretive. I simply can’t talk to you about work stuff.”

“Well, what about non-work stuff?”

“Why do you want to hear about my poor ol’ childhood and my family and all that mess?”

Hail handed her a blue drink.

She took it.

Hail clinked his drink up against hers and said, “Because it’s a start.”

Kara smiled, but she didn’t start the conversation. Hail did.

By the second drink, Hail had begun to tell her about his family and the pain he had felt when they had all died in The Five. But he found it too difficult to linger on that subject. Hail shed some tears and Kara had been ready with the bar napkins. She listened and understood and felt his pain.

And then it was Kara’s turn. She talked about her parents, about their deaths, about how she had been left alone and how lonely she felt. She explained that her job was really all she had and how sad was that. It was a solemn and awkward talk, but the more they drank, the easier the words came out.

The third drink was green and a little stronger. Hail asked Kara if she wanted to take it up to the top deck and watch the sun come up.

She said yes.

They stood at the railing on the port side of the ship. The sun sneaked up over the edge of Japan. It was bright and the day was clear and the wind was fresh, yet the conversation was sullen and made the sea appear old and insensitive.

Hail talked about the early days, when he was in high school and his Dad was moving up the military ladder. He told her how difficult it had always been to please him. He told her that when his Dad had died, his father had gone to his grave disappointed in him and his accomplishments.

They sipped strong green liquid and at some point they realized they were much more similar than they had been are few hours ago.

Kara told Hail about being an only child; an only child that was pampered and then left in this world with no practical living skills. She explained that she felt guilty complaining about being too rich and being given everything, knowing how much poverty there was in the world. And as a CIA agent, she had been on assignments in small countries and had seen firsthand how poor some people really were. It could have been the booze, but for some reason she thought it was important that Marshall understood that rich girls could be sad too.

At some point, Marshall began talking about his wife again, about his kids and his love for them, the heart shattering hurt he felt, the stabs of depression that still hit him like physical blows any time he thought of them. Kara put her arm around his waist and told him that she understood.

Hail’s eyes were wet.

Kara’s heart hurt for him. Hurt for herself. Hurt for all of those that had suffered way out there, past the glittering coast of Japan and on and on. There was so much hurt and sadness in the world. It was amazing that anyone was truly happy.

The sun was up and they could feel the heat starting to build.

Hail walked Kara to her stateroom. They stopped at her the door. Kara looked up at Marshall and gave him a hug. It felt good. It felt good for both of them. It had been a long time since Kara had felt a man that close and it had not been part of an operation.

And Hail hadn’t felt anyone that close since he had hugged his wife and girls goodbye on that last dreadful day.

“Are you hungry?” Kara asked, her hands still resting on Marshall’s hips.

“Yeah?” Hail said.

“I think I have some popcorn in my room. If you want to come in, we could watch a movie or something.”

“Let me check and see if I’m needed elsewhere,” Hail said, taking out his phone and checking his messages.

The only message was from Renner. It read in bold letters, KARA CALLED KORNEV AND WARNED HIM ABOUT THE MISSILE ATTACK.

Hail did his best not to react to the information.

He looked into Kara’s beautiful eyes and said, “Do you have anything else you want to tell me? If we want to move forward, I need to know we can trust one another.”

Kara thought for a moment. She let her hands fall away from Hail’s waist. She took some air into her cheeks and then puffed it out a few times as she wrestled with how much she should share with Marshall Hall.

“I have something to tell you, but I think it will make you mad.”

“And what would that be?” Hail responded, already looking a little mad.

“Promise you won’t be mad?”

“How can I promise that?” Hail said.

“OK, then I won’t tell you,” Kara said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hail sighed and said, “OK.”

“No,” Kara said, “You have to promise you won’t be mad.”

“OK, I promise I won’t be mad,” Hail said with a tinge of irritation.

“Alright then, remember you promised,” Kara said.

She took a moment to consider how to phrase her next sentence, but then realized there was no good way to say it.

“I called and warned Kornev about the hit on the warehouse. That’s why he ran.”

Hail said he would not be mad, but to Kara he looked mad. But he didn’t look as mad as she had expected. She thought he would have blown his top by now.

She also added, “Remember, I told you that I wanted Kornev alive. I need him. I need his information.”

Hail looked down on her as if she had disappointed him.

“Is that how your Dad used to look at you?” she asked him.

That comment temporarily stunned Hail and his face went slack.

“As long as we are being honest, then I have something to tell you,” Hail said, regaining his composure.

“Yes,” Kara said.

“You first have to do the whole not to be mad thing,” he told her.

Kara rolled her eyes and said, “I promise.”

“I promise not to be mad,” Hail coaxed her. “You have to say the whole thing.”

“OK, I promise not to be mad,” she said, but instead of annoyance, Kara was smiling.

“Well, after you left to make your call to Kornev, I tried to kill him.”

Kara looked shocked. She wasn’t smiling anymore.

“And how did that work out for you?” she asked tentatively. “I take it when you said that you tried to kill him, that would indicate that you failed to kill him which means that Kornev is still alive?”

Hail looked dejected.

“As far as I know, he is still alive, but it wasn’t from a lack of trying on my part.”

Kara shook her head slowly from side to side. She had her lips bunched up and was giving him the old schoolmarm look.

“Shame, shame,” she told him.

“And I could say the same to you,” Hail shot back.

They both looked at one another, silent, trying to decide in that brief instant how much different their lives might be if this was their last mission together.

“So do you think we can trust each other now?” Kara asked.

“I don’t know. We were able to talk to each other for several hours without killing one another,” Hail commented. “That’s got to be a good start.”

“Well I think you can trust me,” Kara said.

Hail brought his phone up and looked at the old message that Renner had sent after Renner had listened to the recording Kara had made.

“My phone is almost out of power,” Hail said.

Kara reached behind her back, turned the handle and pushed open the door to her stateroom.

“No problem. Come on in. You can use my phone charger.” Kara offered graciously.