The door opened and four soldiers arrived.
Sonny stood, ready to shield her from the same soldier. She gently grabbed his wrist. He looked down at her and she shook her head.
"This is where we hold our heads high and say what we have to say to those who mean the most to us".
"General"! yelled Campbell, "we've just received another video file".
"Get Bravo team over her now", replied Goodwin.
When the entire team was there, he started the video. Sonny appeared on the screen. He was dirty, his beard longer as well as his hair. He was pale and had lost weight.
The team looked at each other. It had been a little over a week and it was obvious that neither him nor Emily were in a five-star all-inclusive Ivorian Resort.
"I am Petty Office Sonny Quinn. I don't really have much to say. I want my Unit, my family and friends to know that I love them. I don't regret any of this. This is what I was born to do with my life. To save my country. I'll see you all on the other side".
The camera shifted and showed Emily. She too had lost weight and was ashen. She seemed exhausted but nonetheless relentless as always.
"I am American Navy Captain Emily Blackburn currently stationed at Port-Bouet base near Abidjan, Ivory Coast. I have not been threatened or coerced into making this statement. More than a week ago, I was taken hostage by a rebel militia along with one of my men Petty Officer Sonny Quinn".
She paused for a moment.
"I address this message to my men, to the Navy, my superiors, the Pentagon and the President of the United States. Please remove all American military forces from the Ivory Coast. There will be no negotiations possible for our release. The message from the rebel militia to the American government and Armed Forces needs to be unambiguous".
She paused once again as Bravo team held their breaths.
"To set an example for those who do not take their request seriously, we will be executed on live television in two days at sunset. If you haven't departed in 72 hours, others will be captured and executed. Neither Officer Quinn nor I wish for more soldiers to lose their lives".
She straightened and held her head high.
"It has been an honor for me to serve my country, alongside my brothers and sisters in arms. To my family and friends, I urge you to be strong and to support one another during the storm. May the Lord bless you and protect you, for I will never be far".
The video ended, leaving the room completely silent. Most of them stared into the void, almost detached from what was happening. Eric sat down in his chair and grabbed his head in his hands.
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me Lord", said Ray.
Jason shook his head. "It's over. We'll never find them in 48 hours".
Clay was tapping his finger on the table. "I think you're wrong. I think in this message, there was another message".
Mandy tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean"?
"I could be wrong, but I'm more than certain that she used morse code".
"That's impossible", replied Jason. "Her hands are barely visible".
Clay stood. "Not in the beginning of the video, but then she very discreetly brings them in front of her, joined as if she was crossing her hands to pray and I swear, she moves her finger and it is not random".
Jason grabbed the remote control and rewound. "Brock get a paper and a pen".
They all watched in anticipation and sure enough her hands converged half-way through the message. Two paragraphs before the end of her message, one of her fingers moved slightly. Initially Jason thought it was just a reflex, but as they kept watching, it was getting more and more evident that it wasn't.
When the video ended, they all turned to Brock.
"Echo Sierra Niner One One Niner", he said.
Jason tapped Clay on the shoulder. "Good job".
Mandy took the paper. "Now we need to find out what her message means".
"It's obviously not a location nor coordinates", replied Eric who had someone emerged from his desperation.
"It has to be something that leads her to her location, otherwise, why take the risk to send us the message"? said Ray.
Joey entered the room.
Joey then looked at the piece of paper in the middle of the table.
"Why do you have Captain Bokwa's license plate number"?
They all turned their attention to him. "What"? replied Eric.
"Yeah, I'd recognize that license plate number anywhere. It belongs to General Folami's Captain".
"You're a 100% sure of what you're saying"?
"Yes, absolutely".
"Why is she giving us his plate number? And where did she see it"?
"She's gone a couple of times to see the General, she must have seen it there", replied Joey.
"Yes, but how could it lead us to her, what does Captain Bokwa got to do in all of this"?