| |
Nolan, Renner, and the young crewmembers responsible for building and operating the Jefferson Starship awaited a delivery on the top deck of the Hail Nucleus.
The C-5 Galaxy had landed at the airport in Lomé, Togo, where the Jefferson Starship was unloaded and choppered to the Hail Nucleus. Alex, Dallas, and Paige were giddy with excitement to find out how many bullets had skidded off the surface of the Starship. They were eager to start the process of fixing and improving their creation.
Nolan asked them, “How many drones made it back to the Starship for the flight home?”
Dallas said, “Out of the eight drones released, six made it back aboard the Starship. Kornev smashed Sarah’s flying drone, hitting it like a baseball with the butt of his rifle. One of the mini-tanks somehow flipped over on its side and was unable to erect itself.
“What did you do with the tank?” Renner inquired.
Alex answered, “We self-destructed it. Leave nothing behind, as planned, right?”
“Right,” Nolan confirmed.
The Sikorsky Seahawk that had plucked Nolan from the sea not long ago appeared on the horizon. Suspended under the aircraft was the telltale outline of the Starship. Everyone watched as it flew closer to the docked ship. The crew moved to the edge of the hydraulic elevator where the capsule landed uneventfully. After disconnecting the hook and line, the elevator hummed to life. The weapon’s creators brought the capsule below deck. The kids used a small forklift to haul the Starship to the lab. Within minutes, the elevator returned for the helicopter.
Once the teens had left the hangar and everything was buttoned up, Nolan asked Renner, “Are you hungry?”
“I could eat,” Renner said.
Due to Renner’s sprained leg, the men walked to the passenger elevator rather than taking the stairs. Nolan asked, “Exactly what happened at the safe house after we left? I heard Kara shot the terrorist. Is that true?”
“Kind of,” Renner said enigmatically.
Nolan asked, “How in the world do you kind of shoot someone?”
Renner laughed to himself as he recalled Hail’s version of what occurred. He explained, “Marshall told me Kara had actually held the gun up to the guy’s face but she couldn’t pull the trigger.”
Nolan nodded. “Yeah, it’s one thing to hate someone, but it’s another to kill that person in cold blood. So, what happened?”
“Did you notice those .38 specials that Marshall had holstered on his hips?”
“Yeah,” Nolan said. They boarded the elevator. “They are kind of hard to miss. Nice guns.”
Renner continued his story. “They’re not really what you think they are. The guns belonged to Marshall’s father. His father collected a lot of unique firearms, but his tastes tended to be a little eccentric. Those .38 specials with the nickel-plated and pearl-handled beauties are actually a set of famous dueling pistols.”
“Famous how?” Nolan asked.
The elevator stopped and the men stepped into the white corridor.
Renner explained, “They are famous for one specific reason. One of the guns shoots blanks but the other gun was specifically designed to backfire once the trigger was pulled.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Nolan exclaimed with a laugh.
“Nope. When Marshall saw Kara was having a difficult time shooting Zain, he took his 1911 from Kara. He laid the dueling guns on the table. In front of Kara he placed the gun that shoots blanks. However, in front of Shallah he placed the gun that backfires.”
Nolan ran with the rest of the story and said, “So when they went for the guns, Kara shot a blank at the dickhead who ended up shooting himself?”
“Yep, you got it.”
Nolan smiled and said, “Did Hail tell her?”
“I don’t think so. Maybe he will tell her in the future if her guilt for taking someone’s life becomes a problem. Then he can explain how it really went down. But for the time being, she has the satisfaction of executing Zain and completing one part of her mission.”
“And she also thinks it was a fair fight,” Nolan added, “which makes it a little more palatable to the ole brainbox.”
“Yeah, and I can’t believe I gave Marshall grief for bringing those six-shooters along. Sometimes I don’t give him enough credit when it comes to his understanding of the human psyche.”
After a pause to digest this newest revelation, Nolan broke the mood of speculation with, “All I understand is that I’m hungry. What will it be today?”
Renner thought for a minute and said, “How about some American food?”
“I love the stuff,” Nolan said.