Still Not Black Enough Chapter 05

Big apologies for the long wait. Let's try to get this back ont track.

The basic gist of it so far:

During his visit to Paris, the President of Khamistan, Bashar Abbas, has been targeted for assassination by a terrorist group that disagrees with his alignment with the West. American former federal agent, Adam Black, reluctantly gets involved as his girlfriend, Clara, gets taken as a random hostage by the group.

Monday, May 13th, 2024. 10:00 AM - Paris, France

Adam and Raymond are speeding through the morning traffic of Paris, en route to UNESCO.

Adam is briefing Diane and the rest of DGSI of the situation, though the news of the bomb strike at UNESCO has already reached them.

"Hassan's goal was to keep us busy, it was a trap."

"What about the hostile you interrogated?"

"He's not going to give us anything more. This is big, and a grunt like him doesn't know more than he has to."

Isaac joins in on the conversation.

"Black, how far are you two from UNESCO?"

"Not far, but UNESCO won't get us anywhere. We need to track the people who kidnapped President Abbas. Hassan got away, our only lead is the hostile who committed suicide after killing Dubois. Look up his location and set a maximum perimeter."

"We'll dispatch choppers to survey the area."

"No, that's going to take too long. We have to assume that the people who kidnapped President Abbas are planning to assassinate him. Conduct a thermal scan of the area."

Isaac looks at Diane.

"I can do it."

And then gets back to Adam.

"That's a good idea, Diane's on it. It's gonna take a few minutes."

"Hurry."

One thing is for sure: Adam is in work mode now. All the doubts of whether or not he's up to this are gone. And it's got nothing to do with President Abbas, and everything to do with Clara.

The frightened tone in her voice was heart-wrenching.

Adam only hopes she isn't dead already. Though she probably isn't, he figures. There's no reason to capture a random civilian like that if there's no purpose behind it.

It's just the curse of being involved with Adam.

---

Clara, Abbas, and his family are held at gunpoint in the black van that captured them.

One of the terrorists questions Mia about Clara's presence.

"What's with the woman, Mia?"

Mia hates it when she's questioned like that. Especially when she's just following orders. She always knows what she's doing, and gets agitated when people assume she doesn't.

"Get out of my face. Daivari's orders. He said he had a use for a hostage. So I delivered. Capiche?"

"I don't like it."

"Well, you don't have to like it, you just have to do as you're told. As do I."

Clara is also curious about her involvement in whatever is happening, but is too hysterical to form a coherent thought. Her eyes wet with tears, her breathing hitches.

"Who are you people? And why are you doing this?"

Mia slaps her in the face.

"Remember what I said about being a good girl? Shut it. Who knows, you may make it out of this alive."

Abbas stands up to Mia out of a foolish sense of bravery.’

"You leave the girl alone! What you people want is political, leave her out of this."

Abbas is quickly taken down by the other terrorists. Mia crouches down and grabs him by the hair.

"I wouldn't play the hero if I were you. You're not in your President's chair right now, you can't make demands here. You're far, far away from home, Bashar."

"Whatever you're doing, you will never get away with it. I promise you."

Mia tightens her grip. There's clearly something she's been wanting to get off her chest. It's not directed at Abbas, but he just so happens to be the scapegoat this time around.

"Oh, I beg to differ. And you know, between you and me. I hate men like you, you know? Oh, so virtuous, all the damn time. Always playing the hero. Always being the good guy. What's with you? You could just keep your nose to the pavement and collect the rewards, but noooo. Always the martyr. And oh my God, always the big mouth. Jesus Christ. Shut up."

Daivari's phone call interrupts the rant.

"Mia. Did everything go according to plan?"

"Sir, yes, sir. We're on our way."

"We're setting up the broadcast. We won't have much time before the authorities learn of our location, but it should be enough. After that, you've done your job."

"I told you I would. I just need time to get out of dodge until everything goes, you know, kaboom. I'll let you boys do what you're gonna do. I don't even wanna know."

"Of course. I will see you soon."

---

Daivari's Hideout

Daivari's men are setting up a live feed.

The camera is pointed at a set of chairs that are sitting in front of a black sheet covering the wall behind them.

The equipment is high tech and valuable-looking. Everything looks too? Or so delicately set up.

"Are we on schedule?"

"Yes. We are ready to begin the broadcast as soon as you give the order."

"Good work. We're past the difficult part. But we can't make any mistakes."

"Don't worry. I've double checked everything. If you calibrated the CX4 correctly, we're ready."

"It's done. All we need is President Abbas, and we are ready to go."

---

Paris Streets

Diane calls Adam back.

"Adam, I got it."

"Go ahead, Diane."

"I'm sending you the coordinates. Thermal activity about 20 minutes from the crash site where the hostile committed suicide. The only thing that's there is an abandoned compound. I checked, it hasn't been used for anything in years."

"Okay, that's our best lead. We're on our way. Is Isaac there?"

The call was on speaker and Isaac has stayed right next to the phone.

"Right here, Black."

"Look, the people who kidnapped Abbas took a hostage. Don't send in choppers or additional teams. We can't provoke them into killing the hostage. Let Raymond and I do this on our own."

Isaac has been trusting of Adam up to this point, but him giving orders in a dire situation like this is beginning to bee a bit too much.

"Black, with all due respect. President Abbas is the first priority."

"I understand that. But if they wanted Abbas dead, he'd be dead already. They kidnapped him for a reason. As long as they have Abbas, they have all the leverage they need. I don't know why they took a hostage, but they have to consider her expendable."

Isaac picks up on Adam saying "her".

"How did you know the hostage was female?"

"That's not important."

"Yes it is, Black. Do you have a personal connection with her that's clouding your judgment?"

"Damn it, Isaac. You're gonna have to trust me. Don't make the wrong move."

"And you're gonna have to let me do my job, Black. I understand your point, and I don't want the hostage to be killed, either. But my job is to ensure the safety of President Abbas. First and foremost. I'll get back to you."

Isaac hangs up the call.

"Son of a bitch."

Raymond is curious, as well.

"Do you know the hostage?"

Adam is reluctant to answer, but does.

"Yes. I do. But that has nothing to do with anything."

"I trust your abilities, Adam, but Isaac's right: President Abbas is our priority."

Adam remembers why he hates this job so much.

"So, an innocent civilian is just an acceptable loss?"

"That's how it goes. You should know."

"Yeah, I do. And that's why I no longer do this fucking job."

---

President Levesque's Limousine

Levesque is furious in his limousine. It seems like there is not a threat to his life. All the terrorists wanted was Abbas.

This does nothing to make him happier, though. His big day was ruined, and now there is a national security crisis ongoing.

He is venting his frustrations to his security detail.

"How could this happen! How could there be a bomb inside UNESCO? On this day? This day of all days!"

"People are still looking into it, sir. I wish I had an answer."

"What do we know? Does DGSI have anything on this yet?"

"No, sir. Nothing has come up. They're tracking the people responsible."

"If those kidnappers assassinate President Abbas on this country's soil, on my watch-"

"I understand, sir. I'm certain DGSI are doing everything they can."

Levesque is a nervous wreck. It has less to do with Abbas' safety, however, and more to do with his personal pride and political ambitions. This day, in his mind, was supposed to be about him. The crowning moment of his presidency.

"We have to be ready to do whatever it takes to make sure President Abbas is not assassinated in our country."

---

Daivari's Hideout - An Abandoned Compound Away from the City

A lone and long since deserted compound sits in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by nothing but what France's nature has to offer.

This is the place Daivari has decided to use to execute his plans.

The black vans from the bomb site at UNESCO arrive in front of the compound.

The Abbas family – and Clara - are dragged out of one of them, followed by Mia.

At gunpoint, they're ordered to follow Mia inside one of the buildings.

Abbas doesn't want to obey, but seeing his wife and daughter held at gunpoint has a way of convincing a man to do so.

It pains him to see his daughter so frightened. There's a hatred that a parent feels when witnessing their children in such a state that is unmatched by anything else.

As of right now ,however, there's no other choice but to comply.

Clara is no less terrified.

This was supposed to be a nice day at work, followed by a fun date with Adam. It's turned into something so out of the ordinary, the absurdity almost overrides the horror. Almost, but not quite.

Inside, the group is greeted by Daivari.

Mia and Daivari share a quick hug.

Abbas is surprised he doesn't recognize Daivari since he was expecting this to be orchestrated by a known political enemy.

He is, however, filled with disgust by the fact that he is being attacked by one of his own.

"I demand to know what is going on."

Daivari gives Abbas a stiff punch in the face.

"You do not make demands here, Bashir. Your days of giving demands anywhere are over. You will learn, soon enough."

Daivari then approaches Clara. She would rather he didn't, but her options other than standing still are quite limited.

"This is the hostage, Mia?"

"Yup. Like you asked."

"Take Bashir, his wife, and the hostage to the broadcast room. We will begin soon. The child doesn't need to witness this."

The three are escorted to the room with the camera set up to await whatever their fate may be.

---

Paris Streets

Adam and Raymond are heading towards the compound, while also awaiting further instructions from DGSI. Adam made his case earlier, and hopes that Isaac listened.

A call from DGSI makes his heart jump a bit because now that Clara is involved, it can always be bad news of some sort.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"It's Diane. I'm sending you a video feed, you and Raymond should have a look."

The feed shows a gruesome sight.

President Abbas, his wife Shaheena, and Clara sit side by side, surrounded by men with guns, wearing black keffiyeh headgear that covers their faces.

One of them being Amal Hassan who begins speaking.

"Citizens of the Western World; people of France. Today, you thought you woke to a world where our people had surrendered, and had become lapdogs of the West. You thought you had won. But men with courage; men with conviction; men with strength made sure our people would not surrender to the imperialistic tyranny of the West."

Adam talks over the feed to ask about its origin.

"Diane, is this live?"

"Yes. It's public. Broadcast all over the internet. I'm guessing a public execution."

"Not if we get there in time."

Adam's eyes are locked in on Clara. She's seemingly frightened out of her mind. It's especially heartbreaking to see someone as gentle and kind as she is to go through something like this.

He feels a wave of rage the likes of which he hasn't felt in quite a while. Not heartbreak, not depression. Just pure white hot fury.

He's determined to hurt the people responsible.

---

President Levesque's Limousine

The live feed is also being watched by President Levesque. It's even worse than he feared: not only are the terrorists threatening to execute President Abbas on French soil, under his watch, but the execution will be broadcast all over the world.

Levesque is scrambling, trying to figure out what the course of action should be - though the situation doesn't seem to leave any room for strategizing.

"This has to be stopped! Immediately! This is an absolute disgrace! I can not allow this to happen on my watch!"

He then calls Isaac at DGSI. Isaac sees that it's the President and immediately picks up.

"Mr. President."

"Isaac, are you seeing this?"

"Yes, sir. I am."

"Please tell me this is being handled"

"We have located the terrorists' base of operations and are moving in right now."

"You better make sure your men get there before the assassination of President Abbas takes place on French soil!"

"We're doing everything we can, sir. I'll keep you informed."

Levesque aggressively shuts off the phone. Although it's not that he's so worried for President Abbas, or even the seemingly French hostage.

He's not an uncaring man, but he is, without a doubt, a politician.

And no less of a politician is the Prime Minister sitting right next to him who comes up with a thought.

"Mr. President, if I may?"

"Go ahead."

"There's a chance DGSI won't make it there in time. A public execution of a foreign President would be disastrous. It would take years for us to measure the damage."

"I'm aware of that."

"What if there was a way out?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"What if we don't give the terrorists the opportunity to execute Abbas?"

"That's what DGSI is trying to do."

"No. I'm talking about a pre-emptive strike."

There's nothing but silence for a moment. Silence and firm eye contact.

"You mean..."

"Yes: I mean we call an airstrike to take out their base of operations before they carry out their plans."

Levesque leans deep into his seat. Contemplating. He would effectively be murdering President Abbas, his family, as well as a hostage.

"President Abbas would die."

"Think, Mr. President. There's a good chance he's going to die anyway. This way, his death would be the result of a rescue attempt."

"I don't know if that would feel right."

"This isn't an emotional decision, Mr. President, it is a rational one."

Levesque is left thinking about what was just suggested.

---

The Compound

Away from everybody else, Mia has found a place to take a phone call.

"Yeah, go ahead."

A deep and intense, slightly raspy male voice can be heard on the other end.

"I'm watching the broadcast. I assume everything is as it should be?"

Mia keeps her voice low.

"You shouldn't have to ask."

"Fair enough. Make sure everything goes down as it should and that Daivari has no reason to suspect you. Daivari is not a stupid man."

*"No, he isn't. But I can handle him, don't worry. I'll let you know when it goes down.”

"Thank you, Mia."

Mia makes her way back to where the broadcast is being held.

President Abbas and Shaheena are the primary focus of the show, the President in particular, and no one is paying close attention to Clara at the moment, which gives her an opportunity to look around.

Her eyes come across someone who stands out from the rest: an older white man. The only non-Middle Eastern in the group of terrorists, it seems.

Not only does he stand out, but Clara thinks he recognizes the man from somewhere.

She can't put her finger on it, though.

The man notices Clara eyeing at him, and tries to stay out of sight.

He then asks to have a word with Hassan.

"The woman was looking at me. She may have recognized me."

"Don't you worry about that, she'll be dead soon, along with the President and his wife."

"You better promise me."

"Just go do your job."

The man leaves the room.

Hassan then speaks to President Hassan while showing off his weapon.

"I will be giving you a choice, Bashar. Something you did not give to your people. The people you claim to represent. The people you sold out when you decided to make an unholy alliance with the West."

Hassan circles around the prisoners, then aims his gun at Shaheena, then Clara, then back to Shaheena, alternating between the two.

"You get to make the choice of who I kill: your wife, representing the people you betrayed - or a western whore, representing your new friends."

Bashar has no interest in taking part in anything like this.

"You are crazy, I will not cooperate with you in any way."

Hassan takes aim at Shaheena and looks like he's about to pull the trigger. Bashar panics.

"NO! Don't."

"So you choose your wife over the western woman?"

Hassan then aims at Clara whose tear-filled eyes are closed in fear. But Bashar interrupts again.

"No! Let them go, take me in their place. I'm the one you want, aren't I? There's no reason for you to keep them."

Hassan smacks Bashar hard across the face with his gun.

"You do not give demands here, Bashar. Not anymore. I will give you some time to decide."

Hassan leaves the room as the cameras roll on the three prisoners.

---

Adam and Raymond are driving towards the compound as fast the car allows.

Adam witnessed everything that just took place via the live stream. All he is thinking of is how Hassan has made his last mistake.

"We need to go faster, Raymond!"

"I'm doing all I can!"

A phone call from Isaac puts a stop to the bickering. Adam picks it up and puts it on speaker.

"Yeah?"

"It's me. I'm gonna have to ask you two to stand by."

Adam is absolutely not having any of this.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"President Levesque has ordered a pre-emptive airstrike at the compound."

This stops Adam at his tracks. Raymond is confused, too. Adam demands answers.

"Killing everyone in the compound?"

"That would be the case, yes."

"Why?"

"Apparently, it was decided by President Levesque that a pre-emptive strike would pose a smaller risk than a rescue attempt."

"There's a hostage in there! An innocent citizen of this country – your country!”

"I answer to the President, Black! These were his direct orders. I'm ordering you two to stand down!"

”You're telling me that she's some sort of an acceptable loss so that the President can save face?"

"I have my orders. And so do the two of you."

Adam ends the call.

Raymond doesn't like the orders, either, but Isaac is his boss. And the President is the boss of them both.

"Adam, I'm sorry. I know the hostage is someone you know. But those were the orders."

"Your orders."

"Excuse me?"

Adam pulls his gun on Raymond.

"Stop the car."

"Adam..."

"Stop the car!"

Raymond reluctantly complies.

"Slowly, get out of the car, hands behind your head, and walk five feet away."

Raymond gets out of the car and does as Adam directed. He knows better than to play some sort of a hero here. Adam keeps his aim until Raymond is far away from the car.

"Adam, I respect you, but this is insane. The President ordered a damn airstrike."

Adam doesn't listen to any of it and speeds away.

Raymond then calls Isaac to report what happened.

---

The Compound

While Hassan is gone, Clara, President Abbas, and Shaheena are discussing their fate.

Shaheena is the cold hard realist among the three.

"We will not be rescued in time, will we?"

Bashar naturally tries to calm his wife down.

"We will make it through this, Shaheena. I promise. We must stay strong. And pray."

Clara is still confused as to how any of this is even possible.

But she's not thinking of the men with the guns. She's not praying.

She's thinking how much she'd like to see Adam right now. To her, however, it's an unrealistic pipe dream. Adam probably doesn't even know where she is. How could he possibly?

---

Adam is closing in on the compound as he gets the inevitable phone call from Isaac.

"Black, what the hell are you doing?"

"With all due respect, I wasn't given a choice. I won't let the hostage in the compound be an acceptable loss."

"So, what? You're going to save the day on your own?"

"I don't have a choice! You can help me or not, I'm not turning back."

"How do you expect me to help you? You pulled a gun on one of my agents. You're unbelievable."

"I'm doing this with or without your help, Isaac."

"The President ordered an airstrike. What about that are you not getting?"

"Tell the President to hold off on the airstrike. Or let me talk to him."

"I don't have that kind of authority, and you even less so, Black."

"Give it a shot!"

Adam hangs up.

---

The Compound

Hassan re-enters the room.

"Time is up! Which one of these ladies will get shot? The decision is yours, Bashar. Will it be your wife, or will it be the representative of the West?"

Bashar is left with an impossible decision.

---

Adam stops as he finally nears the compound and gets out of the car.

He's far enough to hide but close enough to observe the surroundings with a pair of binoculars; at the top of a small hill, he's in perfect position to get a good visual on the entire area. The compound is heavily guarded, and the guards heavily armed.

No sane person would attempt to sneak in.

Adam, however, is not turning back. He grabs a few items from the car, such as a knife and a full clip for his gun.

"Hold on, Clara", he's thinking to himself while trying to ignore how insane this is to try to do alone.

Adam has just never been good at caring about little things like that.

Isaac contacts him one last time on his earpiece.

"Black! President Levesque refuses to call off the air strike. Turn back!"

Adam stops. He should turn back, but he keeps staring at the compound, knowing Clara is being kept inside.

"What's the ETA on the airstrike?"

"There's no way you're gonna make it."

Adam crouches and takes one more look at the guards through his binoculars.

"That's not what I asked. What's the ETA?"

Isaac sighs, accepting that there is no talking Adam out of this attempt.

"Less than nine minutes. Black. This is a suicide mission. Even if you somehow manage to get inside, the airstrike will wipe out the entire compound! You're all gonna be dead!"

Adam stands still and contemplates - but only for a moment. He stares at the compound. He thinks about what Isaac said.

Then he thinks about Clara.

"Tell Diane to use an infrared scan to give me an estimate of the number of hostiles inside the base."

"We estimate at least 19."

Adam shuts off the communicator and slides down the hill to make his way towards the compound, while Isaac shouts at him in vain.

"Black? Black!"

---

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