"Where are those two" Jason asked impatiently standing in the rain at the tail entrance of the C130 waiting for Davis and Jess to arrive so they could be wheels up for Turkey
"They were reviewing the last bits of intel, making sure they have everything covered when I checked, we've still got some time" Eric said assuring Jason that there was a valid reason for why they hadn't arrived yet
"So they did manage to get some extra intel on the mission" Ray asked hopefully looking at Eric
"Apparently, let's get inside" Eric said as he indicated for everyone to head up into the plane as he heard the thunder start in the distance
"What did Luca say Trent" Clay asked as they sat down once they were inside
"About what" Eric asked confused about the conversation
"The base we're going to be staying at in Australia, Jess has an issue with it and won't tell us what it is sir" Brock said bringing Eric up to speed on the conversation they'd had earlier
"It turns out that she was actually raped and assaulted on the base, Luca's not entirely sure where on base it occurred, just that it happened there" Trent said filling the rest of them in on what Luca had told him
"So remind me again why it wasn't reported to base security" Jason asked annoyed at the information he'd just heard
"She was taken of base for initial treatment, she had to undergo emergency surgery because of the injuries that she sustained, and was kept sedated for a few days after the surgery, and apparently there were ways onto the base without security realising they were there, so in theory, it could have been done off the base, and Critter and Dede didn't realise till they found her in her cabin bleeding" Trent said looking at Jason, he had asked the exact same question of Luca, why it hadn't been reported, but Jess was in no position to talk to the police at the time she'd arrived at the hospital, all they could do was take the evidence for the rape kit, and wait for her to choose to report the crime
"But I mean she's been back there obviously, to the base, if it's where the clearance divers are based" Ray said pointing out that Jess obviously didn't have that big of an issue with the base
"It wasn't for a few months after the attack, and she maintained a private accommodation of base after the whole affair with Critter and Dede staying there, she only remained on base when she absolutely had to be there" Trent said answering Ray's question about the fact Jess had returned to the base
"What's the accommodations like, we're not going to be separated are we" Jason asked concerned about the possibility of being separated
"Dorm style, 10 single rooms with shared communal living area and kitchenette, the dorm is secured by keypass, and meals are available in the mess" Eric said explaining the set up
"So we're getting a dorm to ourselves" Clay asked
"Yes, Bravo will have one of the dorms for our own personal use, the Clearance divers will be divided into 4 teams, for the first week we'll be participating in skills assessments where teams will have a chance to earn certain advantages for the second week of training, which is where the teams will be pitted against each other in the ultimate challenge, Bravo team will be given a list of tasks to achieve in the second week, the clearance divers will be tasked with stopping you from achieving your goals, it's a low vis training exercise so you'll be working in the public as well as on base, you'll need to keep it top secret however the plan for the second week, you'll receive the list of tasks when we arrive, the Australian teams won't receive any prior information about what your tasks will be until the actual day of the exercise" Eric said explaining how the course would be structured, Bravo would be vastly outnumbered with 4 teams tracking them, however Bravo would have the significant advantage with the ability to plan ahead
"So when you say teams will compete for advantages the week before" Brock asked
"Things like weapons, resources, gadgets, snippets of intel, all teams will start with the same amount of weapons and resources day 1 of the course, but it will obviously alter over the week based on performance or lack there of" Eric said explaining the rules they had all agreed with, Lieutenant Commander Duncan had already informed him of the trouble that was happening, the lack of respect, the fighting amongst the senior divers, he needed them put in their place, so it was decided that their performances and behaviour would deliberately affect the teams ability to achieve the task at hand
"But the Australians aren't going to know anything about the actual exercise for the second week" Ray asked their CO
"Not till it begins, so there resources may be seriously lacking compared to Bravo's, it will depend on how they function" Eric said
"Fair enough, so how do they win" Clay asked curiously
"It will depend on which team manages to stop us from achieving the tasks, if they fail to stop us achieving any of our tasks, then Bravo team wins" Eric said explaining the requirements to win
"Okay, sounds like fun, we'll need some advanced recon for the area, we'll be relying on, you two took your time getting here" Jason said starting to say before noticing that Jess and Lisa were making their way onto the C130 with their bags
"Sorry, we had to stop and get our hair and makeup done" Jess said sarcastically as she walked past Jason to stow her bags earning a smile from Lisa
"You got the extra intel we needed" Eric asked looking at Lisa
"We're still waiting to hear back from some of the enquiries sir, but we've got a lot more intel than when we started" Lisa said confirming that they had gotten somewhere
"Good, you can both brief us in the air, let's get going" Eric said as he left to notify the flight crew that ready to leave
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"So we've been able to decipher the bank accounts, we're still tracking the owners of some of the accounts that Nawriz has made payments to recently, however we have located a series of recent transactions into this account, it's owner is based in Russia, but appears to spend a lot of time traveling" Lisa said beginning the in air briefing
"Mossad believe that we're most likely looking at the bank account being held by a member of the Russian Mafia, they have confirmed that Nawriz has connections with the Turkish mafia" Jess added
"So this guy who's purchased these girls, could be mafia as well" Clay asked
"The account that Nawriz has received the money for the girls is from an account based in Mexico, the Sinaloa cartel" Lisa said
"Damn" Brock said recognising the name Lisa said
"One of their leaders Jose Luis Valdovinos will be traveling to Turkey to meet with Dogan Mumcu, a local business man with ties to the Turkish mafia, he's planning a party for local business men to introduce Valdovinos to his friends, now Valdovinos has a very interesting rap sheet for spousal abuse and rape, however the charges are mysteriously dropped and the girls disappear" Lisa said handing around the photos of Dogan Mumcu and Jose Luis Valdovinos so Bravo knew who Jess and Lisa were talking about
"How many girls are we talking about that have disappeared" Jason asked curiously
"They believe it to be over a 100 different girls have made allegations against him, at the least and have since disappeared" Lisa said
"Basically the case goes to court, girl is a no show, no one knows where she is, case gets thrown out" Jess said explaining how the cases get dropped
"So do we know when the party is" Ray asked curiously
"96 hours time, at his Yali mansion in Nisanti, from what we know Valdovinos is a self proclaimed convert to sunni Islam" Jess said now answering the questions
"And he uses that as an excuse to defend his actions" Trent said bluntly
"Most likely" Jess said agreeing with Trent's assessment that Valdovinos most likely had no interest in the actual religion apart from it being an excuse to get away with hurting women
"So how do we ruin this party" Sonny asked eagerly, talk was cheap, Sonny was ready to work out how they were going to kick some butt
"Standard takedown" Clay suggested
"To risky, civilian casualties" Jess said rejecting the idea of kicking down the front door
"Could we intercept the girls on the way to the party" Brock asked
"Not unless we have an idea of when they'll be transported, and whether they'll all arrive at once, did we get the plan of how they'll be transported" Ray said arguing the negatives for a vehicle interception
"Private flight, traveling under falsified documents with Nawriz" Lisa said
"So a guy traveling with 10 women, that's going to arouse suspicion right" Trent asked
"Not necessarily, remember they're flying into a Muslim country, if they're dressed in full covering they won't be asked to remove it, or be asked questions, the questions will be directed to the males of the group" Jess said explaining that it wouldn't be considered unusual for women to be flying in with men from another country
"Okay, what if we flag Nawriz's passport, have authorities nab him when he enters the country" Ray asked curiously
"That's a good idea Ray" Jason said excited to have a plan underway
"The amount of money this guy has, all he needs to do is pay of a couple of people, and he'll get through, and that's providing that he's traveling under his own name, we need to get in at the party, let me make a few enquiries" Jess said as she went to move away to make the enquiries
"You aren't going undercover Jess" Jason said firmly putting his foot down
"Why not" Jess asked not backing down from her position
"Jess, this is going to be a rape fest, how exactly do you plan on getting in and out of there, safely" Jason asked concerned about what Jess would be putting herself at risk for
"From what my contact at MIT has told me, the guests are allowed to bring their wives, the idea is that the wives will split from their husbands, go of and drink tea why the husband's do the deed with the purchased women" Jess said not showing any signs of backing down from her position, she still firmly believed that getting someone in at the party to confirm that the women were on site and where they were being held
"So being the dutiful wife why turning their backs to what the men do in the other rooms" Clay asked
"Exactly, if you have someone inside the house, they could check the security and layout, confirm the women are there and where they're held, and find a way to get you into the house without causing problems" Jess said explaining the benefits of having someone on the inside
"And that person needs to be you" Jason asked
"I'm the logical choice" said Jess
"You have a way of getting in there, don't you" Eric said looking at Jess
"I need to confirm, but MIT have an asset who's a good friend of mine, and likely been invited to the party" said Jess, if her friend was invited, then she would be able to get in as one of his wife's
"What about your own safety" Eric asked curiously
"I can cover my body in the full veil, so I'll be fully hidden, and I can carry a sidearm and knife for protection" Jess said having clearly thought it through
"Can you wear a camera and wire" Eric asked wanting to make sure Jess could be safe
"Should be easy enough to do it" Jess said confident of the ability to camoflauge the camera and wire under the veil
"Alright, if your friend can get you inside, then we're a go, if not we'll need to come up with another plan" Eric said confident of the plan Jess had presented
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"Jess, what was the verdict" Eric asked the moment Jess returned to the cabin after receiving a private call, the rest of Bravo team were sacked out in their hammocks
"We're a go for the party, my friend Ilhan Karagoz will meet us at the airport and escort me to the party, he's ex SAT and a MIT asset, so he's no stranger to a fire fight, he now works running his father's bank as his official cover" Jess said to her CO, her friend was previously Turkish special forces
"Bit of a change, going from the special forces to running a bank" Eric said
"Not by choice, when his father died, being the eldest son, it was his family duty to inherit his father's business, look after his mother" Jess said explaining that the change Ilhan made was not by choice
"So he had to give up his career" Eric asked
"It's the way things are done over here" Jess said explaining
"So what are you going to wear" Eric asked curiously
"I'll need to pick something up, Ilhan has offered to pick something up on his way to collect me from the airport, or I can head out to look myself" Jess said explaining the options she had, she didn't make it a habit of carrying formal wear every time she left the base, and her combat boots and camo pants would be slightly out of place at a formal party of the Turkish elite, even with the veil covering her body
"You can get him to pick something up, you're not going out shopping in case you're spotted" Eric said making his decision
"Figured you'd say that" Jess said knowing that would be the most likely decision, she knew the shops in the area, she could look online to check the current fashions, purchase the items for local collection and have Ilhan's driver pick them up
"You want to expense it" Eric asked making the offer
"I'm good, got it covered" Jess said as she climbed back into the hammock and pulled out her tablet to start browsing the local shops, the clothing wouldn't be cheap, and Jess didn't want to put Eric in the position of explaining what the reasons were for purchasing such extravagant items
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"Jess your date is here, and he's loaded with shopping bags" Brock said alerting Jess to the fact Ilhan was at the plane, when he'd arrived at the airport, Ilhan had presented all the accreditation and security clearance before being escorted to the C130 with his driver, there were numerous brand names on the bags
"Ilhan, nasılsın eski dostum" Jess said warmly greeting Ilhan
"Praise be Allah, her şey yolunda gidiyor, iyi görünüyorsun" Ilhan said returning the greeting to Jess
"Nice of you to lie Ilhan" Jess said laughing uneasily at Ilhan's comment of how well Jess looked
"My driver collected your orders, you sure brought enough stuff" Ilhan said indicating to the bags in his driver's arms
"I wasn't sure what would be comfortable, or sit well under the veil, I'll go get dressed" Jess said excusing herself after taking the bags from Ilhan's driver and heading towards the back of the plane
"Jess said you were with SAT" Eric said taking the chance to talk to Ilhan
"For a while, left when my father died" Ilhan responded
"So Jess told us, can't have been an easy decision" Ray said trying to break the ice with Ilhan
"There was no decision, maybe in America there would be, but not here, here the family comes first" Ilhan said looking at Ray
"Yeah, but at least with your work with MIT, you're not completely out of the game" said Clay
"That is true, there is still to much evil in this world for me to walk away completely and be satisfied, even if it is only gathering intel and keeping my ear to the ground" Ilhan said, the role of managing a bank meant he often saw financial information that MIT might have an interest in, and could often travel and meet random people without arousing suspicion
"So Jess, how do you know each other" Jason asked eager to work out how they knew each other
"My father, he done business with the Al-Jassim family for many years, we knew each other as children" Ilhan said mentioning Jess's biological mother's family name
"You weren't at the wedding" Trent said to Ilhan, he was weary of Ilhan and his intention towards Jess, and wanted to make sure that he knew Jess was married
"I know, Jessica and Luca chose to keep it small and I respected that, I'm just glad they finally made it down the aisle together" Ilhan said mentioning Luca's name and he was glad they were married
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"Wow, you must have spent some major money for all this, sorry" Lisa said in awe as she looked through the shopping bags full of clothes and accessories, before quickly apologizing suddenly when she mentioned she cost involved
"It's fine Lisa, I did actually spend a bit more than I usually would if I'd gone and tried stuff on in the shop, these days, I don't know, being in the military is simple, you're told what to wear each day, I know I'm going to be covered" Jess said letting Lisa know she was not offended, Jess normally wouldn't have had such a hard time choosing what to buy, but lately things were different
"It's still not easy to decide on what to wear" Lisa said acknowledging the difficulties Jess was having feeling comfortable in particular clothes
"Exactly, a lot of clothing doesn't feel right anymore" Jess said as she pulled out a dress before discarding it to one side
"This looks comfortable, and really expensive, and it should be easy to move in if needed, this is what your covering yourself in" Lisa said pulling out a pantsuit and a black full body covering
"Don't look so surprised" Jess said taking the pantsuit, it felt extremely silky and soft to touch, it was definitely a contender for the evening, Jess went of to get changed behind the bags
"Don't you find it oppressive, wearing the veils" Lisa called out to her
"No, I don't understand why people call it oppressive, it puts the female in control of who sees her and her body, quite frankly I enjoy feeling in control at times, especially now" Jess said poking her head around the bags to continue to talk to Lisa about the veil, before going back to focus on getting changed, the comments leaving Lisa feeling confused and irritated slightly
"Problem Lisa" Eric asked walking over to check on the progress of Jess getting changed, he noticed the confused and irritated look on her face
"I just think it's oppressive for women to be forced to cover their bodies in this society, but apparently I'm wrong" Lisa said bluntly, Jess emerged to respond before Eric had a chance to say anything
"You're not wrong, we just have a difference of opinion, life would be pretty boring if we all thought the same" Jess said as she grabbed the covering to put it on
"Jess has a point, you got kevlar on" Eric asked looking at Jess realising it would be extremely easy to hide items under the veil
"Yes sir" Jess said confirming that she had it on
"Weapons" Eric asked
"I've got my primary and secondary handguns and my 8 inch blade all concealed" Jess said listing of the weapons she was carrying
"Right, let's get you fully set up for audio and visual recording" Eric said happy with the responses Jess had given him
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"She's ready" Eric said as he led Jess and Lisa down to where the rest of Bravo team were standing and waiting with Ilhan and his driver
"Fully armed and deadly, and she's wearing a kevlar vest for extra protection" Lisa said smiling, the audio and video link up were good, and Jess was wired for comms direct to the TOC and Bravo team, she would be able to hear everything they say
"The brooch" Clay asked curiously noticing one pinned on such a way it looked like it was securing Jess's veil to her body but still being fashionable to a certain degree
"It's a camera, the other wives aren't as likely to be covered to the extent Jessica will be, but just in case, it should help you tell her apart from the other women if needed, as far as the other guests are concerned Jessica will in fact be Zainab, my new wife from Saudi Arabia, which is why she practices the wahhabism method of suuni Islam" Ilhan said explaining the need for the brooch
"In other words I'm an orthodox sunni Muslim, so extremely strict in my beliefs" Jess said explaining the meaning of wahhabism
"Which means that she shouldn't be expected to remove any part of the veil as there will be men present who she is not related to, so they shouldn't get a look at her face, or have the men even talk to her" Ilhan said explaining the reason for choosing wahhabism as being Jess's religion for the night, it would be highly unlikely that the men would even acknowledge her presence
"And what about when you're in the room with the other wives" Ray asked wanting to be certain that Jess would be safe
"I should be able to get away without showing my full face, I'm wearing a niqab which is consistent with wahhabism, so it will only be my eyes that are visible, hardly enough to identify me" Jess responded, and she could put on an accent to make her sound native arabic, she wouldn't be speaking with an American or Australian accent by any means, this was another reason why Jess had argued that she was the logical choice to play this part of the mission
"Very well, let's get this show on the road, keep safe out there tonight Jess, nothing fancy, just do your job and get out" Eric said wishing Jess luck for the mission, and warning her to stick to the script, he still felt uneasy about having her go in alone, but something also told him that Jess was smart, she'd taken precautions, and she was capable of doing this
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