CH36
Rick showed up at the FBI jet and pointed his finger at it while walking around it before working on the door's lock to open it and scan the interior. "So if they're using this to run drugs why are all the seats in place?" he said to himself. "Removing them and putting them back in place would take time, but removing them would create more space." He scanned everything and moved to the cockpit.
He was hoping the most recent pilot left behind some DNA as he scanned the cockpit. Rick sat down in the pilot's seat and decided to see the system readouts. However that meant he had to start up the jet. He simply pointed fingers over the controls and watched the jet come to life.
The engineering section told him how many hours the jets of the plane had been run. He could use that information to match them up with the written flight log records and his fuel purchases to find out how far this jet had actually traveled instead of what was shown.
His scans would tell B5 if the radio was functioning perfectly and what it was presently set at. Rick was still looking around. "DON'T MOVE!" a new voice suddenly advised him.
He cursed internally. He had screwed up yet again. He had forgotten that he didn't have Alexis watching his back. He slowly raised his hands and bent one of his fingers to point at whomever it was, followed by turning his head to look at him.
Rick was pleased to see him standing there with a big smile on his face with his weapon hanging at his side. He was able to get out of the pilot's seat as he pointed at all the controls that shut the jet back down. "Let's go back into the cabin and sit down. …That's right, just sit right down, you've had a long day already and need a nap."
He took his weapon away from him and took it apart while keeping a small piece. "Let's see who you are." Rick pulled out his wallet and scanned it so B5 could look him up. "Let's give everyone something to think about shall we?" He took the man's money and his credit cards and dropped his wallet on the floor.
He pressed the gem in his hand, vanished in a swirling column of clouds, then arrived where one of the two twin turbo props was sitting. Rick walked around it while pointing his finger before unlocking the door and going inside. "Are these runs really that small?" he questioned. Like the jet, this plane had all its seats.
"Maybe these flights are sent to open up new areas for distribution. Are these flights only used to send a large sample of what is available?" Rick scanned the interior and sat down in the pilot's seat. He soon had both engines running as he looked over all of the instruments.
He shutdown the plane and wished he had time to look around where he was. "Maybe Kate would like to come during Mardi Gras after we finish this mission." Then Rick sighed. "On to the next plane." And he pressed the gem in his hand leaving the still open plane behind.
He wanted the people to know the plane had been searched. He wanted the people or person in charge to start being involved personally. They needed leads on who this person or people were.
Rick was soon standing next to the second twin turbo prop and scanned it as he walked around it before unlocking it. Like the others, he found it still had its seats. "Maybe they are trying to open up new markets," he speculated.
Like the previous planes, he scanned the interior before sitting down in the pilot's seat and firing up both engines to look at all of the plane's readings. He did notice that this plane, like the others, was low on fuel. No one was flying any of the three anywhere without filling it with fuel first. "Interesting. Did they not top off the tanks for the flight or did they drain them after landing?"
This airport was larger than the other one and while still sitting in the pilot's seat he noticed an airport security car approaching his location. "Time to leave." He disappeared in a swirl of clouds, leaving a still operational plane behind him. 'Let's see what the bad guys think about that!' he thought, pleased with himself.
Rick arrived in front of B5 finding Kate and Alexis already there. "Hi babe." Kate kissed him. "Find anything?"
"Let's find out," he murmured as he pressed his finger on B5's panel to download everything he had scanned. "I'm wondering if the jet and twin turbo props are being used to transport large samples for distribution to open up new markets. The turbo props were in New Orleans and Houston," he informed her.
"That's interesting. I found a shipping container filled with heroin and evidence that there are two more on a container ship. It will be stopping at Miami and Galveston," Kate told him. "Miami already has a big drug trade. The Miami stop may only be to fill empty shelves. Galveston, however, sounds like a good place to distribute to other areas like New Orleans and all of Texas," he suggested.
"There are large amounts of this crap in each container babe. Each one is worth hundreds of millions," she pointed out, not even touching on all the lives that were going to be destroyed with this stuff.
"So they are shipping it in instead of flying it in. Guess that rules out the military being involved. C-130's or C-17's." Rick was thinking that the bigger cargo planes might have been involved.
"They might still be involved babe. Perhaps they are being used in Turkey or the surrounding area. Load them onto a C-130 and fly to a coast where they can unload it into a container and onto a ship," Kate countered.
"Transport by truck to the coast would be simpler. Hire drivers and their trucks that are hurting and will haul anything with no questions asked. They need the money for themselves and their family," he posited.
She thought they both had a point. "Road trip?" Kate proposed. Meaning they would go to Turkey and look around for themselves.
"Where we need to go will likely mean no hotels; we'll have to rough it. Tents, sleeping bags, cooking on an open fire, using bushes," he warned her. She wasn't scared. "Do we have camping supplies?" she asked, getting Rick to smile. "We will before the end of the day."
"I've never been to Turkey. Can we spend a day in say Istanbul, in a hotel maybe?" she asked hopefully. "I'll start researching hotels before we hit the trail in the middle of nowhere," he responded as she kissed him.
"Oh! I had a run-in with one Will Sorenson and a pair of dirty DEA agents." She placed their wallets on the panel after taking off the 5 thugs' IDs. "FBI Sorenson? Interesting. …Where are they now?" he asked her. "Dallol, Ethiopia," Kate told him. Rick smiled widely. "I knew doing research on remote locations would come in handy."
"I wonder what the assistant director of the local field office will do now that he has lost his right hand man," he mused.
"B5 please tell me that the bug someone else planted is still working." He wanted to hear what he did about this set back. "It is still operational. He is presently out of his office," B5 informed him. "Excellent, keep monitoring it. Whomever planted it may someday come to find out why it isn't working for them anymore," he told B5. "Understood," B5 responded.
"I'm going to go shopping, since it looks like we'll be out in the middle of nowhere Turkey soon." Rick kissed Kate and headed for his car.
Tent (with stakes and guylines)
Tent footprint
Sleeping bags (with optional liners)
Sleeping pads
Backpacks
Pillows
Multi-tool or knife
Daypacks (see our Day Hiking Checklist)
Trekking poles
Mallet or hammer (for tent stakes)
Headlamps (with extra batteries)
Flashlights (with extra batteries, bulbs)
Lanterns (with mantles, if needed)
Lantern fuel or batteries
Water filter or treatment tablets
Moisture-wicking T-shirts
Moisture-wicking underwear
Quick-drying pants/shorts
Long-sleeve shirts (for sun, bugs)
Sun-shielding hats
Bandanas or buffs
Boots or shoes suited to terrain
Socks (synthetic or wool)
Long underwear
Sleepwear
Insulating jacket or vest
Insulated pants
Gloves or mittens
Rainwear (jacket and pants)
Stove
Windscreen
Fuel
Fuel bottle(s) with fuel funnel
Matches/lighter
Grilling rack
Frying pan
Cook pots
Portable coffee/espresso maker
Hot-cold vacuum bottle
Bottle opener/corkscrew
Can opener
Recipes
Food-storage containers
Resealable storage bags
Water bottles
Plates, bowls, mixing bowls
Mugs/cups
Utensils
Funnel
Foil
Biodegradable soap
Pot scrubber/sponge(s)
Collapsible water container(s)
Quick-dry towels
Coffee
Cereal/granola/oatmeal
Eggs (freeze-dried)
Breakfast bars
Meat (jerky)
Soup mixes/bouillon cubes
Prepared or freeze-dried meals
Salt/pepper
Milk (powdered)
Cocoa
Drink mixes
Bottled/canned beverages
Energy food (bars, gels, trail mix)
Fruit (dried)
Cheese
Crackers/chips
Toilet paper
Sunscreen
Lip balm
Insect repellent
Hand sanitizer
Alcohol or antiseptic wipes
Mirror
First-aid kit
Toothbrush, toiletry kit
Brush/comb
Eyeshades; earplugs
Biodegradable soap
Playing cards
Glow sticks
Silverware/plastic silverware
Razor
Feminine products
Soap in plastic case/shampoo
Tooth brush/tooth paste
Binoculars
Ruffles, Istanbul Turkey
Horizon Suite, one bedroom, dining room, Make-up area, walk-in closet, 1970 Sq. Ft. in area, Breathtaking views of the Bosphorus from bedroom, living room and bathroom.
"WOW RICK! You really know how to pick hotel rooms, even if it is only for one night. And this view!" Kate dropped her very heavy backpack which was all either of them had on them.
He simply smiled hoping that he was converting her to living in a hotel room instead of just sleeping and sitting on a bed. "Can we go see!?" She wanted to see Istanbul, not just stare at the view out of her hotel room window.
He looked at his watch. "We have a private tour guide who is meeting us downstairs in…10 minutes so go freshen up and let's go see Istanbul," he told her which had her running for the bathroom only to come back for her backpack.
Private Istanbul Tour
Explore the fascinating history of Istanbul as you stroll by world-famous monuments with your private guide. Visit Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Hippodrome of Romans, Grand Bazaar, Spice Market.
"That was amazing Rick, thank you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.
"We're not done yet. We still have a night tour to go out on. How about a shower first? We have…Oooo, only 45 minutes." He had thought they would have more time, but their tour had taken a little longer than advertised. Not that he was complaining. Their tour guide knew his city inside and out.
Forty-five minutes had Kate moaning. It meant she didn't have time for Rick to wash her and have some fun in the shower and since they were going backpacking after this, she didn't have space to bring her bed restraints and tie him to the bed again.
"Sorry Alexis, but you need to stay here in the room for this tour. I promise to bring you something fresh from Turkey for you to eat," he said, feeling bad about leaving her behind.
"Meow." Something only found locally maybe?Alexis wanted to taste something special too.
Istanbul by Night: Turkish Food Tour
Discover Istanbul's culinary delights on a 5-hour evening food tour of the capital. Led by an expert local guide, your tour includes visit to all the food hotspots around the city that many tourists don't even know about. Check out a traditional 'simit' bakery, grill your own kebabs on an open fire in a barbeque restaurant, and visit a 'meyhane' (Turkish tapas bar) for meze and live music! 7:00 pm to 12:30 am.
They both found a new bakery item that would require some research to find in New York City, or they could just teleport here to get some and go back home.
Kate grilled Rick his kebab while he did the same for her. At the Meze bar they split a ground lamb pizza, butter cookies with clove sugar, herbed zucchini fetta fritters. "You are so going to take lessons in how to cook Turkish food babe." She was going to use B5 to find him a place that would teach him.
Bosphorus Karbon Stout "This is actually pretty good beer." He was enjoying it even though she had given up on hers. It didn't have the taste that she liked and it suddenly hit her that she just might be pregnant.
Kate was having fun and was planning on what she was going to have Rick do when they got back home. For the first time perhaps since this all began she was feeling lose and having fun. She was just feeling good about herself, as she was hanging onto him, laughing and happy as the night was ending for them.
"We need to stop and find something for Alexis," Rick reminded her. Kate stood up straight and sobered up for a moment. "Alexis! I almost forgot. Did we pack food for her?" She didn't remember. "I stuffed 2 cans of salmon into your backpack while I have another one along with some dry cat food in a plastic bag. I didn't dare bring her crystal dish though," he said.
That made her feel better. "We need a food market." She went looking for a taxi to find Alexis a fish. Their taxi driver took them to Balık Pazarı since it was open late. It didn't take long to find a stall that sold a number of different fish, most of which Kate and even Rick had never seen. The problem with being in a local mall was the language. He did his best to show that he wanted one that tasted the best.
The man in the market stall picked out a fish that Rick noticed was the most expensive one he had, its only problem was that it was kind of small. Alexis needed something bigger. He shook his head and pointed at the biggest one he had from that same type. That had the shop keeper smiling. "Teşekkür ederim, teşekkür ederim." He was one happy propriator. Dülger (John Dory Fish) tends to be quite tasty and expensive.
"What about tomorrow morning babe? Our hotel room has a refrigerator," she reminded him, which had him pointing to the next largest of the same fish getting the stall owner to waste no time in bagging it for him and accepting his money.
"We need to hit the ATM machine in the hotel again, these two fish have tapped me out," he moaned. Kate simply kissed him. "You know Alexis will thank you for it."
Back at the hotel, she collapsed backwards onto the sofa while looking out over the famous bridge while he put one of the raw fish on a plate from the kitchenette for Alexis. He soon plopped down on the sofa next to her. "How do you feel?" he asked her.
"Full, tired, happy." She never dreamed her life would be like this.
"Not nauseous?" he asked. She turned her head to look at him and placed a hand on her abdomen. His question had Kate wondering if she was pregnant and just didn't know it yet. "No, I feel fine."
Rick placed on his hands on hers over her abdomen. "Are you worried?"
"NO! …I mean not worried about the baby. Between what they did and having B5, he or she will be perfectly healthy. I'm just not sure I'm ready to be a mother yet." Kate didn't see herself being like Johanna, her mother.
"I didn't see myself as being a father either. Meredith showed up and told me she was pregnant and it scared the crap out of me. Having to fight for my baby's life didn't help any…" She interrupted him. "I am so going to hurt that woman if I ever see her. As bad as it sounds, I would love to find someone who would hold her for 5 years and make a sex slave out of her," Kate fumed. See how Meredith would like being drugged and raped over and over!
"I hate to break it to you, but I think Meredith would like to be someone's sex slave. She might even take control over him." Rick knew Meredith was a force unto herself.
"My point is, you're nothing like her. You're already worried about the baby when Meredith didn't even want to be pregnant. You'll do great Kate, we'll be great. I promise." He hugged her. She simply melted into Rick, happy to have him.
"MEOW!" That was delicious!
"We have one more for you in the morning before we leave," she said. Alexis jumped into Rick's lap and rubbed up against him.
"Meow." Thanks Dad.
"I'd take credit for it, but it was Kate who talked me into them, especially the second one," he remarked. Alexis walked across Rick to get in Kate's lap and rubbed up against her.
"You love Kate. You love me, you love Alexis, and I think you've learned to love your parents as well. You'll love the baby too, especially when they hand you that little bundle for the first time. You won't be able to help yourself." Rick knew it would happen.
"MEOW!?" You're pregnant Mom!?