Honour Among Spies #VisualRetelling #Homeland #DiverseLit

Chapter II

Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad

Khan's chauffeur driven limousine got him to terminal three on time. Carrie who requested the meeting kept him waiting. He was impatient by the time he spotted her stepping out of the embassy vehicle.

A military official guided Carrie and Peter to where CCTV footage was being viewed from a wide computer screen. Carrie, Quinn and Khan all stood behind a seated Camera Technician. Quinn was standing a little behind Carrie to her left and Khan was opposite her.

Khan's eyes drifted to Carrie's full rosy lips as she issued commands to the men around her.  "Forward the video to gate forty-six."

"Yes, starting from twenty two hours and twenty seven minutes. That's when Saul contacted us," Quinn echoed.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Khan quickly replied looking straight at both of them.

"Why is that," Carrie crossed her arms, irritated.

"When I got here, I was told cameras covering gates forty to fifty-three were down that night," Khan explained.

"Down," she smirked unconvinced.

"Yes, that's what I was told," Khan replied.

Quinn frowned asking the computer technician whether what Khan said about the cameras was true.

"I was not working that night but it's not unusual for cameras to stop operating. Software incompatibility causes the system to crash."

"Software trouble indeed," Carrie scoffed her blue eyes blazing. Tempting as it was to let his eyes wander, Khan maintained eye contact with Carrie.

"Is there anything pertinent to Saul Berenson's disappearance that you can show us," Quinn followed up.

Khan indicated that the computer technician play it. The footage showed Saul walking towards the camera in the departure lounge then from a different angle, the camera showed him joining a queue by some tables and dinners.

Exasperated Carrie said, "So there's nothing from the gate where Saul actually disappeared."

"Apparently not," Khan conceded stealing a glance at Carrie's pink areola and erect nipples. He unconsciously licked his lips. Was it getting warmer under his military jacket?

"Doesn't that strike you as suspicious," Carrie oblivious to his discomfort was emphasising words the way Khan did.

"It strikes me as unfortunate," he replied.

Incidental noises around Carrie amplified in her head. The quickening of Quinn's breath behind her; an administrator stirring tea in a ceramic mug with a metal spoon and a military official clicking shut the locks on his briefcase. Carrie turned round to see the source of the sounds.  She couldn't understand why she was feeling a manic episode coming on when she was taking her bipolar medication. Her mind was sharper and sexual arousal stronger just before full blown psychosis. "What about Farhad Ghazi? Have you got any footage of him," she asked.

"Not yet," Khan answered.

"Isn't it convenient that evidence substantiating what Saul sent us is missing and there's nothing of Farhad Ghazi on the tapes you've shown us. You warned the airport that we were coming, didn't you?" You told them to dispose of evidence that could implicate the ISI."

"Excuse me," Khan responded to Carrie's naked impertinence. He could have kicked himself for responding to her sexual cues.

"You heard me...what have they done with the evidence," accused Carrie. Quinn reached for Carrie's left hand indicating that she calm down.