As the team laments over the Deckers' escape, the sound of sirens in the distance is at least a bit consoling.

Jessica's phone comes alive again, with Lt. Isakovic reporting in a crackled manner.

"Agent Hum---bird, are you st--- there? We had --- bit of a bumpy land

---

everything appear----to ---- working satisfactory. Have ---- emergency vehicles pick ----up then head ---- to our position. Over?"

"Static on line. Please repeat. Over."

*What am I asking this for ? Officials thrive on repetition...*

By now an ambulance and military transport arrive at the scene. The medics stabilize the Team then take them over to the downed chopper.

Lieutenant Isakovic is waiting outside of the idling helicopter.

"Hello. This was quite unexpected. That shot Hanna made was one in million."

"Their equipment was much more than we anticipated. Next time we're up against the two, I'd recommend sending in an Abrahms battle tank. Or, more to the point, a dozen of them."

"Uh...we tried that a few years ago. It was outside of Kursk. They were in a stolen BTR and we had three T-72's after them. The Deckers knocked out two and managed to drive the third into a deep ravine."

(Edited by Dieter at 4:28 pm on Aug. 11, 2002)

Jessica raised an eyebrow, then mumbled to herself.

"A suitcase nuke - dig out some black market contacts and get a suitcase nuke..."

"Tell me again why they aren't working for us?"

"That is a story for another time, Agent Nighthawk. Your Agency wants a mission debriefing as soon as possible. I can have you back at headquarters in 20 minutes. The pilot has informed me that we only sustained minor damage to the auxillary systems during the attack. Shall we go? I can at least tell you what I know of the Deckers on the way back."

Assuming no one refuses the free ride...

Lt. Isakovic begins with a small history of the Team Decker.

"I was only a recent graduate of the Russian State Security Academy when the Deckers first surfaced. Apparently Hanna was an agent with MI6 and Michael a highly decorated spec-ops soldier in the U.S. Marine Corp. There was a joint UK/US mission during Operation Desert Storm...you know, the one allegedly that tried to take out Saddam Hussein? Well, the intelligence reports had Hussein at a bunker incapable of being hit by a cruise missle, so a small team had to go in and paint the target for smartbombing. The bunker turned out to be a civilian shelter, not Saddam's refuge. Long story short, someone had to take the blame for the screw up and the brass in Washington and London we're about to take the fall. So, Commander Hanna Fischer and Gunnery Sergeant Michael Decker were chosen as scapegoats. As they were going to their court martials, somewhere between their fire-base and Riyadh, their security detail did not report in at their scheduled interval. The Humvee carrying them was found 2 days later, stripped of all its vital parts with the Marine MPs hog-tied and gagged in the cargo compartment. That began the love affair that is the nightmare we witnessed tonight. Needless to say, they have a distinct distrust of all authority and organized governments."