Over the Atlantic Ocean

            Samantha stared out of her tiny window and thought. There was no good way to bring up the next candidate. There was little to no chance that the candidate would accept. And it would likely cause the team to fail before it even began but she had to try it. She turned and looked at Kelly who seemed to be dosing in the seat across from her.

            “I have a candidate for our team leader.”

            “Okay, who?” Kelly asked.

            “She’s bright, young but not as young as Emily. A Marine for four years, three tours in Iraq, speaks fluent Arabic and was a candidate for OCS before she mustered out.”

            “Okay, sounds good, what’s her name?” Kelly asked. Samantha plunged on.

            “No college degree, but then again, Emily doesn’t have one either… Most importantly she has experience doing what we’re about to do.”

            “Oh?” Kelly asked.

            “Yeah, she’s black ops for NSA… Works for Neil Johnson. Her position doesn’t exist on paper but I ran across her file and asked some people who know things, the director for one… she’s the real deal.”

            “Well, you know my history with Neil… and how much I’d love to steal one of his agents out from under him,” Kelly said.

            “Hell hath no fury…” Samantha said, drumming her fingers on a thin file.

            “Indeed. So who is this girl?”

            Samantha slid the file over in response. Kelly flipped it open and stopped at the personnel photo on the first page. The woman in the picture had honey blonde hair, green eyes and the cheekbones and jaw of a model. A smirk was playing at the left corner of her thin lips.

            “Katherine Kay Mitchell. Date of birth April 20^th, 1983. USMC 2002 to 2006. NSA operative 2006 to present,” Kelly read in a tense voice. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the file. “Funny, I have a little sister named Katherine Kay Mitchell.”

            Samantha swallowed the last sip of her drink and motioned to the flight attendant to bring another one. Kelly was silent for several moments.

            “Are you telling me that my baby sister is an operative with the NSA?” Kelly asked in a dead voice.

            “Yes, and a very good one at that,” Samantha said, nodding her thanks at the flight attendant. Kelly pinched the bridge of her nose.

            “Well, that explains why she hasn’t been home for the holidays for a few years.”

            “Quite so… So what do you think?”

            Kelly stared out the plane window and thought for a moment. According to the file Katie was perfect for team leader. She had experience, she was well-trained and she was a natural leader.

            “I see two problems with this, Sam. One, I offered Kate a job when she got out of the Marines.”

            “I remember.”

            “Then you’ll remember that she turned me down flat,” Kelly laughed.

            “Yes, but if you’ll look closely at her file you’ll see why,” Samantha said, pointing at the second page. “She already had been signed up by Neil then. She couldn’t very well have said ‘sorry sis, but I have a job working for your ex boyfriend’ now could she?”

            “He wasn’t my boyfriend,” Kelly said, giving Samantha a look.

            “My mistake, the gentleman you used to sleep with on occasion.”

            “Neil’s not a gentleman,” Kelly said. “And assuming that she says yes this time around, a very big assumption might I add, there’s still problem number two.”

            “Which is?”

            “There is no way in hell that the NSA is going to let a person with black ops clearance transfer to the CIA.”

            “I wouldn’t be too certain of that, Kelly,” Samantha said. Kelly studied her for a moment.

            “Is this another one of your ‘special favors?’”

            “Something like that. We have a meeting with Neil tomorrow morning on Capitol Hill. Can you handle it?”

            Kelly rolled her eyes at Samantha in response.

            “Stupid question.”