A/N's: Thank you all for reviewing, especially the guest as I could not reply to you personally. Hope you guys all enjoy the next chapter, it will get Jack started on his personal mission... to hell.
Only two hours later, O'Neill arrived at the main base of Special Forces. He had another meeting with Colonel Bayfield to go through the details of the mission.
"So, how do you plan to get in?" Bayfield started.
"Well, I need a flight to Incirlik, I'll start there."
Bayfield nodded. With the non-flying zone above Tyberia and Iraq he had expected that Jack would fly to Turkey first and the Airbase in Adana was a good place to start. Major Crook had done exactly the same thing.
"I'll be moving east, using some of my contacts. Did Marc use them as well?"
Bayfield shook his head. "No, Marc had his own transportation. We arranged that. I've dug this up for you, however. Abdul Radzir is still available and willing to help us. I gather you remember him?" He handed O'Neill a piece of paper.
Jack took it, reading what was on it. "That's perfect. He still owes me. He can take me in. We'll move south, the first part via jeep, I think. Then I'll hike the last part on my own. That will take me at least a day, maybe two. It's rough terrain. You've got my gear ready?"
"Yes, your backpack is stuffed, everything is ready."
"Good. Give me a day to contact Radzir, arrange some more equipment I'll need… We'll be leaving Turkey on Thursday, which means I won't reach camp before Saturday afternoon. I'll probably need another day to get in. Bail them out, hike back through the mountains…" Jack walked over to the table. A map of the area was spread out there. He took a pencil and marked three spots.
"I want you to set up a pick-up on these three spots. Start on Tuesday. At six and every eight hours here," he tapped on the first mark, "at nine and every eight hours here," pointing at the second mark and finally his finger moved to the third spot. "At noon and every eight hours there. We'll jump on one of them; I don't know which one yet. Give it a round three times. If we're not on either one of them by Thursday, consider the mission failed."
"Done. I owe you one, Jack."
"No you don't."
Bayfield frowned, wondering what O'Neill meant.
"You owe me more than one." With that, Jack grabbed his gear and turned, heading for the door.
"Good luck," Bayfield said, but received no answer.
"Major Jek!"
Abdul Radzir had been waiting for twenty minutes at their arranged meeting point and smiled widely at the sight of the American.
Jack approached him, laughing, "Hi, Abdul. How are you today? You haven't changed a bit, my friend."
Abdul Radzir bowed his head. "You have, Major Jek. Your hair has changed color. It looks good on you. Come with me…"
O'Neill followed his contact through the streets of Adana until they reached an old, dirty looking house, separated from the others by a dusty and sandy road. Abdul stepped inside, motioning for the American to follow him. Jack had to bend forward or he would have hit his head, as the doorway was lower than the Colonel was tall.
The scent of cooking made his mouth water. The smell of garlic and onion was overwhelming, along with the peppers and strong herbs as thyme and dill. He followed Radzir into what had to be the living room. There was hardly any furniture, but a gorgeous thick dark-red eastern carpet was spread out on the brick dusty floor in the middle of the room. Here, they both sat down cross-legged, elbows resting comfortably on the knees.
A woman dressed in a beautiful, colorful dress, covering every part of her body, strode into the room. Her head was also completely covered, leaving only one open spot for her eyes so she could see. Over her clothes, she wore a thick layer of shiny, golden jewelry, which made a soft tinkling noise as she walked.
She carried a large silver serving platter and gracefully placed it on the carpet, in the middle. On it were two dinner plates stuffed with food, along with a pot of tea plus two cups. Without making as much as a sound, she turned and left the room.
"Ah, let's eat." Radzir announced and bent forward to hand over one of the dinner plates to the American. "My favorite. Firinda Kuzu Budu. Roasted lambs meat, my friend."
Jack gratefully accepted the plate, waited for his host to start and they began eating.
"So, Major Jek. What do you need of me this time?" Abdul inquired, staring at the American while taking another bite of his meal.
"Jack. Call me Jack. I'm no Major anymore."
"Okay, Jek."
Jack sighed inwardly. He guessed he had to accept that that would be as close as the man could get to pronounce his name correctly. "I need to get into Tyberia. North-east side, through the lower part of the mountains."
The other man inhaled sharply. "No, no, no. Dangerous, Jek. Lots of fights in Tyberia. The Elite guards use strong forces against rebellious civilians."
Jack finished another bite of his meal, swallowing it before nodding. "I know, but I have to go anyway. Can you get me there?"
Abdul Radzir was visibly shaken by the idea. He looked disapprovingly at the American. He shook his head stubbornly. "I do not go to Tyberia. Too dangerous."
"You don't have to go with me all the way. Just take me to the border and I'll be fine," O'Neill tried to reassure him.
"Where do you have to go?" Radzir wanted to know.
Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Let's say that… I'm on a private mission, okay?" He finished his meal. "Mm, this was delicious," he commented and took his cup of tea.
Radzir smiled proudly at the compliment and just nodded slightly.
"So, will you take me there?" O'Neill demanded.
"Yes. I think you are in need of some equipment, though. I will arrange for that as well. Come back to my house tonight, after eleven. Then I have some stuff that you will need. We can leave just after midnight."
O'Neill was satisfied. The first part of his trip was covered and he was still ahead of schedule. Radzir would take him to the border; he was on his own from there. Needing to take care of some things himself plus to catch some sleep in advance, he thanked his contact and left.
That night, O'Neill dressed himself in his dark green BDU pants with a black shirt. He put on a protective fragmentation vest and secured the strips of his backpack over his shoulders and around his waist.
He looked around the small, simple hotel room one last time. He'd erased all traces which could lead to his identification and had paid for the room for a whole week. With his personal belongings stuffed in his pack, he really had no reason to come back here anymore.
"Let's get this over with," Jack silently told himself.
He left the hotel room through the window, climbing on the balcony first and then he carefully slithered down to the street. He made sure to make no noise and leave no footprints behind by carefully picking the right places to step.
Satisfied nobody had seen his departure he walked through the dark streets of Adana. He knew where to go, but taking every precaution he made a huge detour. He only encountered a couple of men who were still outside for one reason or the other. Women weren't allowed to be outside after dark. With one hand stuffed deep in his pocket he walked determinedly, blending into the village as if he belonged there. Nobody paid any attention to him and he was sure nobody was following him.
About thirty minutes later, the Colonel arrived at Radzir's house and found the man already waiting for him on his veranda. Without talking, he indicated the American to follow him inside.
Only a couple of candles illuminated the living room. The beautiful woman was nowhere to be seen; Jack figured she was probably ordered to stay upstairs in the bedroom.
Abdul Radzir took him to a low wooden table standing all the way back in a dark corner of the room. He'd stashed some things there for the American and pointed at them with a slight proud smile covering his face.
Jack scanned the items with great care and lifted a wrench from the table, feeling it with the tips of his fingers.
"To secure the mines," Radzir explained.
O'Neill nodded approvingly. He had both a M22 and a M25 wrench stuffed in his backpack, but this was yet another size.
There were also a couple of small boxes on the table. Radzir opened them to show the content to O'Neill. "Spare safety clips, shipping plugs and safety pins. They fit on the types of mines the Elite troops use…"
"Thanks," O'Neill said sincerely. Along with his own set of equipment he now had a much better chance against the AP-mines he knew would be outside Camp Ockeloen. He carefully wrapped everything and stuffed it in his backpack. The only thing that was missing was a dose of luck and he knew the other man couldn't provide him with that.
Just after midnight the two men left the house and walked out of the village, into the fields. Two miles further away, they approached Radzir's jeep, parked under a grove of trees. Radzir got into his jeep and started it, while Jack took a seat next to him. If nothing unexpected happened, they would reach the border to Tyberia early in the morning.
"Why don't you sleep for a while, Jek. I'll drive," Abdul Radzir offered.
Knowing he would need the rest, Jack gladly accepted the offer, leaning comfortably back in the passenger's seat and closed his eyes. Hopefully there wouldn't be that many bumps in the old, unpaved roads to keep him from resting. It was going to be a tough couple of days.
well... Jack is probably right about that... see you guys on Friday.
