Another key trait they now all shared was that they no longer lingered under open skies a moment longer than they had too. Though there was little that would protect them in case of an attack by one of the satellites, their instinct to stay under cover still had grounding in common sense: as long as they were under any kind of shelter, the chances of their conversation being viewable from space was significantly reduced. So this spot under the big metal awning was among the closest places that either of the two men came to getting some fresh air each day.

“Taking a break, Jack?” asked the colonel, standing next to Jack and looking out at the twilight sky.

Jack smiled. Like his cohorts, he hadn’t been able to truly let go for months now. When Ayala visited she always insisted on having a glass of wine or three with them, trying to help them let off steam. No doubt it was harder on Neal, as most of the time he was unable to talk openly with anyone in his location. Nodding reticently, Jack replied to the colonel, “A break, yeah. I guess, Colonel. They’re not doing much I can contribute to right now in there so I thought I’d get some fresh air.” The colonel raised an eyebrow and the captain continued, “Permission to offer an opinion, sir?”

“Captain, I think we’re a little past that, don’t you? Besides, you didn’t seem to have any trouble expressing yourself with John Hunt last month.” As he quipped about the captain’s minor confrontation with the Agent, Barrett found he was actually frowning slightly at the memory, reviving as it did his sense of hopelessness about their situation. He would never show that though. Deal with each problem as it arose, strive for the success of the mission. What else was there to do?

But the captain’s melancholy was grown from the same seed, and in a rare moment of candidness he decided to confide in his superior officer, “Sir, I don’t wish to be … pessimistic, but I am afraid to say that I think there may be some … holes in our plan.”

Barrett kept his expression even but inside he was deeply unhappy to hear the captain voice his concerns. Sadly he was also not surprised that the young captain had seen some flaws in their plan, hopefully there were no more than the colonel had already noted himself.