Operation Hail Storm

by Brett Arquette

  Renner touched Queen and ran his hand up her smooth frame until he felt the connection between the aircrafts, two thick metal hooks that would be retracted when Blondie was released.

  Rugmon thought Renner’s actions were foolish. Touching the machine did nothing except make him feel as if he was in control of the situation. But the real trick wasn’t the release or even the flight to the landing zone. The real trick was the launch. In order to prepare Queen for launch, the drone had been placed upside down on the launch rail. The launch system was not designed to accommodate a parasitic drone attached to a mother drone. Therefore, Blondie was actually attached to Queen’s belly, and Queen was lying on her back on the rail. Trying to fly Queen with that much weight on its back would have been impractical. Physics would dictate that the aircraft would want to roll until the weight found its gravitational center. Hence, Rugmon turned Queen upside down for launch and had placed Blondie on top of Queen. Once both aircrafts were shot from the rail, Knox would have to execute a half roll to put the bundle into its proper flight orientation.

  Rugmon waited patiently for Renner to make his final round. When Renner appeared from behind the tail of the drone, Rugmon asked him again, “Are we good to go?”

  “I guess so,” Renner said. “Go ahead and charge the field.”

  Rugmon walked over to the wall and opened a panel. Inside the panel he pushed a big button that simply read CHARGE. He watched a red light start blinking. A hum began to vibrate the room as if a large microwave oven had been switched on.

  Renner took a few steps back from the drone. There was no need to retreat any further. He just had to get out of the way of the wings and tail apparatus. When Queen left the rail, those protrusions would cut him in half if he was standing in their path. There would be no jet or rocket emissions that would burn him or cause alarm. The launch system was similar to the way they got new roller coasters moving. The long steel beam had a series of stators and rotors mounted in a line, which produced a linear force with no moving parts. Once the charge was released, the launch of the drone was nothing more than powerful magnets opposing and attracting one another in perfect synchronization. The action culminated in the launch of the drone from zero to flight speed in less than three seconds. The angle of the launch beam sent the aircraft upwards at forty-five degrees, straight out the hole in the deck and up into the night sky.

  Rugmon watched the blinking red light turn to a solid green.

  “We’re charged,” he told Renner.

  Renner ran through the checklist in his head one last time. He then walked over to the wall and picked up a phone. He dialed a six-digit number that connected him to the ship’s mission center.

  “Are you ready, Knox?” he asked the pilot.

  Renner set the phone back on its cradle and then told Rugmon, “Launch the drone.”

  Rugmon lifted a red protective switch cover labeled LAUNCH and flipped the switch underneath.

  The hum of the microwave oven cracked violently as if its electrical cord had been cut with metal scissors. A 100-decibel shriek of electromagnetism ripped the drone off the steel beam and out the hole in the deck so quickly that when Renner blinked, it was gone.

  Renner looked at Rugmon, and Rugmon shrugged nonchalantly.

  “Close the deck,” he told Rugmon.

  The bald man pressed another button and the sound of metal, gears and electric motors rumbled to life.

  Both men looked up and watched a thick metal hatch slide into place and block out the view of the bright moon on the cloudless night.

  *_*_*

  Hail knocked lightly on the steel door.

  A moment later, Kara Ramey answered her stateroom door.

  Hail made the same T using his fingers as Kara had made when she had knocked on his door.

  “Truce?” Kara questioned, looking at his symbol.

  “Time to work out,” Hail corrected her.

  Kara looked him over for a second.

  “I see you’re wearing underwear,” she commented.

  “You said you were used to guys wearing underwear, so I thought this would make you feel more comfortable.”

  Kara huffed.

  “Hey, I’m wearing my underwear on the outside of my gym shorts in case you felt weird about it.”

  Kara couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Do you really want to work out?” she asked Hail.

  “Yeah, I have a bunch of nervous energy, and I need to run it off.”

  Kara paused for a moment.

  “Isn’t it kind of close to mission time?” she asked.

  “Yes, it is,” Hail said. “As a matter of fact, we already launched Queen.”

  “Queen?” Kara asked.

  “The delivery drone,” Hail said.

  “Of course,” Kara said, making no effort to let Hail into her room.

  “Why are all the drones named after rock bands?” she asked.

  Hail thought about it for a moment, and then responded, “Because the other suggestion was to name them after candy bars, and I thought rock bands sounded cooler. I mean, which do you think is cooler? Blondie or Snickers?”

  Kara considered the question.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Hail said.

  “I already worked out, but I’ll do something light, maybe,” Kara informed Hail.

  “Aerosmith or KitKat?” Hail asked when they were in the hallway.

  “Aerosmith,” Kara answered.

  “Whitesnake or Butterfinger?” Hail asked.

  “Whitesnake,” Kara responded.

  “Rush or Milky Way?” Hail continued.

  “I don’t know about that. I kind of like Milky Way.”

  “OK,” Hail agreed. “Just for you, our next drone will be called Milky Way.”

  “You are so good to me,” Kara said.

  When they reached the gym, Hail climbed up onto a treadmill and started off at a slow run.

  Kara, who wasn’t really dressed for a workout, wearing jeans and a classic plaid flannel shirt rolled up at the sleeves, selected a slower speed and walked on her treadmill next to Hail at a normal pace.

  Hail thought Kara looked a little depressed. Her face, which was always beautiful, wasn’t as beautiful tonight.

  “What’s the matter?” Hail asked her.

  “I don’t know,” she said, somewhat surprised that Hail had zeroed in on her mood. “Maybe it’s being on the ship.”

  “You don’t like the ship?” Hail asked.

  “Sure. What’s not to like?” Kara responded respectfully.

  Hail was quiet.

  A moment later Kara said, “I don’t think this is really for me.”

  “What, you mean the ship?” Hail asked.

  “No, I think it’s all the push button stuff. You know? Death from afar. All the drone stuff you guys do.”

  Hail responded immediately, “How could that be bad? Even on the worst day, none of the good guys get hurt. Sure, we might lose some equipment, which equates to money, but we don’t lose lives.”

  Kara hesitated and then said, “I don’t think you could understand unless you’ve been out in the field. You know, where you have something at risk other than equipment and money.”

  “I’m not sure what you are talking about.” Hail said.

  “Do you ever hear people talk about their kids?” Kara asked. “You know, they tell kid stories and the only people that truly understand how they feel are other parents who have kids?”

  “I guess so,” Hail said, “But I’ve had kids, so I guess I don’t understand.”

  “Well I do,” Kara said. “Some of my colleagues back at the CIA talk about their kids and the problems they have with them, and to me it doesn’t compute because I don’t have any. The closest I can come to that situation is that once I had a cat. After my house staff left, I think the cat got hungry and ran away.”

  “OK,” Hail agreed with her for the sake of argument.

  “It’s the same with me and you. The revenge kic
k you’re on—”

  “Retribution,” Hail corrected.

  “Whatever. It’s not the same as being out there and having something at risk, like your life.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Hail responded confidently. “It felt pretty good to me when we took out Kim Yong Chang remotely.”

  “I think that’s because it was your first,” Kara said. “But you need to trust me on this. It’s nothing like having some skin in the game. It’s nothing like being there. It’s not nearly as rewarding.”

  “If you say so,” Hail said. “I wouldn’t know.”

  Kara added, “And I think that’s what I’m feeling. I don’t think I miss being in the field. I just think I can be more effective out there instead of lounging around on this ship. After all, we both have our own agendas, and we both feel we’re under a time constraint for whatever weird reason.”

  “So, after this mission, do you want to leave?” Hail asked.

  “I don’t know. Let’s see how things go and if I can be of any help.”

  Kara looked at the time on her phone and thought she should check in with Pepper back at CIA headquarters. She calculated the time in Washington and guesstimated it should be early afternoon back in that part of the world.

  “I should make a call and update my boss,” she told Hail.

  Hail didn’t respond. Two thick lines of perspiration were meandering down each side of his face. He was breathing hard. At least harder than he should for the amount of effort he was putting out.

  “I’m really out of shape,” he finally responded, not looking very happy with himself.

  “Is there anything you don’t want me to discuss with Pepper?” Kara asked.

  Hail scrutinized her question and did his best to determine why she would ask such a thing. On one hand, she was showing him a measure of respect by asking if

  there was a subject that he felt was off-limits and shouldn’t be shared with her intelligence agency. But on the other hand, any subject that Hail told her was off-limits would immediately be something that the CIA would be very interested in investigating, only because Hail had told her it was off limits. Either Kara was very crafty, Hail was very paranoid, or maybe a little of both.

  “I can’t think of anything,” Hail told her. But he was thinking of something. He was thinking about the dangerous back-up plan that the Washington officials had developed. He wondered if Kara knew about it as well. Once she had conversed with her boss, and Hail had a chance to listen to the recording, he might discover that answer.

  Kara switched off her treadmill and told Hail, “I’m going up top to make a Sat call.”

  “OK,” Hail said, dabbing one side of his face into the sleeve of his shirt. “Why don’t you meet me in the mission center in about thirty minutes?”

  “Will do,” Kara said.

  ‎The White House Situation Room—Washington, D.C.

  I

  t’s no secret that the White House has a special high-tech room called the Situation Room. During many critical operations that had been conducted over the years, several presidents had been photographed looking very tense as they watched the military operation play out over live video feeds. The Wiki on the White House Situation Room reads, The White House Situation Room is a 5,525-square-foot (513.3 m2)[1] conference room and intelligence management center in the basement of the West Wing of the White House. It is run by the National Security Council staff for the use of the President of the United States and his advisors (including the National Security Advisor, the Homeland Security Advisor and the White House Chief of Staff) to monitor and deal with crises at home and abroad and to conduct secure communications with outside (often overseas) persons. The Situation Room is equipped with secure, advanced communications equipment for the president to maintain command and control of U.S. forces around the world. And everyone knows the Wiki never lies.

  Jarret Pepper’s phone played a tune, and he looked to see who was calling.

  “This is Pepper,” he said.

  “Hi, Jarret. This is Kara.”

  Of course, Pepper knew this because of the caller ID. But it was protocol for each caller to announce themselves.

  “Are we on a speaker?” Pepper asked.

  “No, I’m up on the deck, and it’s just me. What’s going on there?” Kara asked.

  “I’m in the Situation Room with a dozen others watching and waiting,” Pepper said.

  Kara thought that was strange since it was pitch-black in North Korea; therefore, there was nothing to watch.

  “What are you watching, and why are you in the Situation Room?” Kara asked.

  “Not much right now,” Pepper responded. He almost sounded a little sad.

  “We’re waiting to see a dark spot in your area get much brighter.”

  “Well, it won’t be much longer,” Kara said. “Hail has already launched a drone that is flying toward the warehouse right now.”

  “That’s good. Do you know the approximate time the strike will happen?” Pepper asked.

  Kara thought about all the planning sessions she had attended in Hail’s conference room. There were so many moving parts to this mission that she doubted if she fully understood all the elements. She certainly didn’t want to open a door with Pepper unless she felt fully qualified to walk through it. At that moment she didn’t feel like getting into the nuts and bolts of the operation.

  So instead of a long answer, she decided to say, “Mission time is planned around 3:00 a.m., but it’s more complicated than a simple drone strike. Hail wants to get in and get out without leaving any sign of ever being there.”

  “And how the hell does he plan to do that?” Pepper asked.

  He asked as if he didn’t believe it was possible. But maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe Pepper thought that she was lying to him.

  Kara answered with a constricted response, “It’s too complicated, and without being an expert in all the wizardry that is going on down here, I can tell you that they are using only drones, and it appears there is a lot that can go wrong.”

  The line was silent for a moment.

  Kara said nothing.

  Pepper wasn’t talking which meant he was thinking.

  Kara surmised that he was preparing to share some important information with her. Something was going on at the White House. The president’s entire cabinet was staring at a dark spot on a video monitor. She sensed that Hail’s mission wouldn’t garner that sort of attention unless there was another element she was missing.

  “I don’t see how this will affect Hail’s mission, but we have developed a back-up plan in case he fails,” Pepper confessed.

  And, to Kara, it sounded like a confession. It sounded like Pepper was telling her a dirty little secret that, given the choice, he would be just as happy to keep to himself. But since others knew, Pepper had decided that he would confess his sin to her as well.

  Kara said nothing at first. She was wondering if she even wanted to know the specifics about the back-up plan. If Pepper was right and it wouldn’t affect Hail’s primary mission, then why did she even need to know about it? And, if she knew, then she would have to decide if she would share it with Hail. That was a lot of drama she didn’t need on her plate right now.

  Instead of starting with the how, Kara decided to test the waters with the why.

  “Why do you need a back-up plan?” she asked.

  Pepper appeared to be expecting the how question and took a moment to change gears.

  “If we have intelligence on the exact location of all the missile parts and Hail’s mission fails, then we might not get another opportunity to destroy them.”

  Kara thought that logic was pretty sound, so she decided to ask the how question.

  “How do you plan to do it, a Predator strike?”

  Pepper responded almost giddily, “No, none in the area. We’re using a single jet fighter. One sortie with one load. It should be more than enough to do the job.”

  �
��I thought we were trying to avoid a U.S. strike on the North Korean target?”

  “Not really,” Pepper corrected her. “We’re trying to avoid a number of jets hitting a number of warehouses. That’s messy. One jet hitting a single warehouse full of ICBM parts—that might be something that the North Koreans may not even want to talk about once it’s over. Regardless of the political fallout or the cost, those missiles have to be destroyed.”

  Kara had to ask one more question, “When is this supposed to happen? What time?”

  “At 4 a.m., your time and, of course, that’s only if Hail doesn’t get the job done before that time.”

  If Kara remembered correctly Hail’s strike was scheduled for 3:00 a.m. Certainly not much wiggle room if Hail’s operation was running late. It didn’t matter one way or another to Kara if Hail blew up the missiles or Washington’s airstrike did the job, but she didn’t know if Hail would feel the same way.

  “Is this confidential information, or can I share it with Hail?” Kara asked.

  Pepper thought for a moment and responded, “If you think Hail needs to know, then you can tell him. Otherwise, what’s the purpose? It’s not like he has people on the ground. Either he gets the job done or we will.”

  “Understood,” Kara said.

  Pepper added, “We’re watching the warehouse on the video, but give me a call if it goes BOOM so we have verbal confirmation.”