✔ᵉⁿᵍˡⁱˢʰ Splinter Cell [Fast and Furious 07]✔

09

After seventeen hours of flight time it was called

Welcome to the United Arab Emirates,

Welcome to Abu Dhabi.

There were a lot of hot days in Los Angeles, but here the sun beats down on you without mercy. It's a desert city. So who is surprised.

Some love the heat, others hate it. For Charlie it was hard to hate. Warm was okay, but hot, anything over thirty degrees, didn't have to be.

The second Etihad Towers was where the event Charlie had come for was being held, along with her soldiers. Tomorrow night, right after the event, the figures were to be packed up and brought back to L.A. the same night.

So the rest of the day was just to prepare for tomorrow's transport. Maybe even spend the evening lying on the beach and sipping cocktails. How often had Charlie had the time in the last few weeks to think that she was living a normal life? A normal life in her mind. The answer. Not at all.

•

It was noon when Charlie left the hotel the next day to make her way to the Etihad Tower. A lot would have to happen before she got into a taxi here, in these "dreamlike" temperatures and surroundings. But what would have to happen? Nothing, except a sudden downpour.

Almost at the Tower, Charlie had a hand over her mouth, was dragged into the side alley and pinned against the wall with her left arm behind her back.

"What are you doing here?" was snapped at Charlie, who stopped struggling when she heard a voice, "Didn't you go to get something?"

"Yeah, here," Charlie began painfully rubbing her shoulder blade after Deckard let go of her, "Nice greeting. Wait....If you're here, that can only mean.... That, no. Come on, that can't be ..... Thank you. I'm really starting to give up. "Before I regret asking," Deckard skipped over Charlie's words, glancing briefly at Main Street and back at her, "where are you going now?"

"One of the Etihad Towers," Charlie answered casually, tilting her head to the side to find out what Deckard was up to, but since it would do no good to ask, she instead smoothed his suit and untied the knot of his tie, which she pulled off his neck because most people here didn't wear any, thanks to the high temperatures, "Much better in a minute. Suits you. For what though?"

"Just one less thing on my list to take care of," Deckard countered instead, causing Charlie to shake his head, panting, "Leave it. Which one of us just stood by and watched the shooting?"

"Me," Charlie meekly raised her right forefinger, turned her mouth to the side, and began to nod knowingly, "You do realize I'm not five, right? Especially since I'm not as defenseless as you think."

"I never said otherwise," Charlie thought at Deckard's words, "I have to go.

Well, have fun or good luck. Whichever. Whichever.

So far, everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. So the next disaster could not be far away.

•

It was just under four hours before the soldiers finally packed up and Charlie was allowed to go home. So far there had been no disturbances, no shooting, and only one car.

Car?!

A window shattered loudly, shards scattered across the room. A car had come from the building next door, crashed through one of the many glass panes, skidded across the hall, and crashed through a window on the other side.

Nothing moved in Charlie's face. Absolutely nothing. Millions destroyed in a split second. To say nothing of the historical value. Just destroyed. The building next door and probably the Emirates Palace Hotel, plus the soldiers and that car.

All that was left was a pile of terracotta shards and the bald guy from the cemetery and O'Connor on the ground. Deckard had once again managed to top his previous performance, once again.