There were three problems as Virginia saw it.

First, the yelling pilots.

Well, Brandon was yelling. Chad was fighting the weather.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Shhh,” said Virginia.

“You killed Reynolds didn’t you?” said Jake.

“You killed someone?” said Brandon.

“Guys! Shh!”

They quieted for a moment.

The plane rocked this way and that, worse than before.

As if their presence in the cockpit was inciting the weather.

Virginia addressed Brandon first. Since he was the first and most immediate problem. “Look, I work for an American government agency and this guy works for the CIA. We’re undercover and I happen to know that you guys are neutral. You’re independent contractors. You’re not on the drug lords’ payrolls.”

“Average, ordinary pilots,” Brandon said with a nod.

“We have a problem,” said Virginia. She turned to Jake. “Yes, I killed Reynolds. I had no other option.”

Then Virginia addressed Shannon, which may have actually been the biggest problem now that she was thinking about it.

“Shannon?”

A few beats.

“Yes.”

“You need to get out of there.”

It was the way she’d said it.

Shannon realized now what she should have realized moments earlier. She was smart, but her mind had been occupied. She wasn’t used to thinking multiple lines of thoughts at once, and she most certainly wasn’t good under pressure.

Shannon blew back her bangs out of her face.

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If USI and the CIA were working together, Shannon was in danger.

“Before Jake turned off his comm system, he’d inquired about me and his counterpart revealed my name. The CIA knows I’m here, and they’re going to tell USI. They’re going to close in on your position at any moment.”

Virginia looked up at Jake, whose eyes widened.

“You’re on an unsanctioned mission,” he said.

Then they almost fell over as the plane violently listed to one side.

Shannon was shook.

“But how could they find me?” she said.

“There’s always a way, Shan.”

Shannon looked at her computer, the dim light filling up just a small perimeter of the gigantic room with light. She examined the dark shadows and lines in the wood paneling. Took a deep breath of the musty air. Then she checked her personal phone, which had been in her jean pocket. There were several missed calls from her boyfriend.

Shannon thought back to past USI missions. USI operated with full autonomy and hadn’t always made the best decisions, or the most moral decisions. Their loyalties lied with America always. But not always with the Constitution of America. Shannon didn’t pretend to understand the difference. And there was that bomb intel. All of which meant, YES, Shannon was in danger…

Shannon fast-walked to her computer and closed it shut. And that’s when the side entrance to this enclave burst open. A man walked through yelling, “Shannon Wright, you’re under arrest. Don’t make a move. Keep your hands where I can see them.” The man was wearing USI field agent garb, was holding a gun and a flashlight. The light beam was pointed right in Shannon’s face. She had to squint against it.

“It’s over, Virginia, I’m sorry,” Shannon said.

“Don’t speak!” the man yelled.

“Shannon,” yelled Virginia into her ear, making her flinch, “I still need your help. You can’t get caught.”

Virginia didn’t need any more of her help. Shannon had gotten her onto the plane, gotten her to this point. There was nothing else for her to do but to track her and make sure she remained safe and alive. Virginia could take care of herself. Mostly. She didn’t need Shannon.

Besides where was Shannon going to go? There wasn’t any way she could escape. She was standing in the center of the room and there was a man holding a freakin’ gun on her. She’d never even received a parking ticket before. She’d never gotten detention in high school or a write-up in college or a traffic ticket or a parking ticket and she was twenty-seven-years old. And now there was a USI agent—a good guy!—holding a gun on her.

“Shannon, you can do this! I’ll talk you through it.”

I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, Shannon was thinking, beginning to hyperventilate.

“Shannon, you need to listen to me. I know USI protocol. I know how to help you. I need you on this mission.”

You don’t need me anymore, Shannon was screaming in her mind!

“I need you, and I can help you, Shannon. We can do this together.”

Virginia had always been good at knowing people’s thoughts.

She wouldn’t see this one coming.

“Like you helped Carmen?” said Shannon.

Virginia didn’t respond.

“Put your hands on your head,” the man yelled.

And behind her another door burst open. Shannon turned but couldn’t see who it was because the person’s flashlight was shining right in her eyes. Then she heard the person’s voice. It was the director of USI, her boss. “Do as he says, Shannon.”