Saturday, February 25th, 2017
USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL
Indian Ocean
07:50
The two officers sat across from their commanding officer and they briefed him on their findings.
For the lieutenant of Marines, he went through their assault, step-by-step, including his thoughts on the dead bodies they had encountered and his contact with the two girls. The doctor had detailed the results of her medical examination and she had reported on any observations.
"Both girls have a tattoo behind their right ear – a commando dagger," she reported.
"Thank you, doctor, lieutenant – dismissed."
Captain Bennett now had a decision to make as he considered the signal which he had received twenty minutes previously. The Admiral wanted the two girls sent to the carrier with all despatch – that is, immediately, if not sooner. Orders had already gone out to prepare the two girls for their flight northwest while the CHURCHILL would remain behind to escort the ship towards the Red Sea. Again, Captain Bennett headed aft, and he watched as the two girls were fitted out with a helmet and a lifejacket. Both appeared to be less belligerent having been properly fed and provided with plenty to drink.
Once the aircraft had launched, Ryan headed back to his cabin and he picked up his cell phone, searching through the contacts before he found the number he required under 'M', and he proceeded to place a call to Chicago.
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Indian Ocean
Making for the Red Sea
15:40
The two girls sat in the tiny cabin which served as the base for the NCIS Special Agent Afloat.
It was grey, metal, sterile. It was also another ship. Although, on the plus side, they were no longer incarcerated in a container. The helicopter ride had been fun, though, as had their arrival aboard the massive aircraft carrier. They had stayed together for every second of the flight and their time aboard. On their arrival, they had been shepherded below, losing track of how many decks they had gone down and then back up, not to mention, how far aft – or maybe forward – they had gone before being directed into the tiny space. There were no windows, just harsh fluorescent lighting. A Marine remained to keep them company until a new face appeared.
"Hello, girls, I am NCIS Special Agent Hector Grant. I am here to find out a little more about you both. First, I am going to take your fingerprints, if I may."
The special agent first selected the older girl and he held out a bulky handheld computer known as an AFIS terminal.
"Place your finger just there – thank you."
After a few moments, a response was received on the AFIS terminal. The special agent was a little confused by the response as it indicated that the girl's fingerprints were in the system but that it would require a higher level of access than his own to know more than her basic details such as name, date of birth, next of kin (none), eye colour, and very little else. Nonetheless, she appeared to be Eva Rebecca Horton, born August 13th, 2003 with blue eyes. Next, it was the turn of the younger girl. The response on the terminal was very much the same, only, as well as confirming that the girl was Ruth Elizabeth Anders, born July 2nd, 2005 also with blue eyes, there was an indication of a living next of kin. On clicking upon the entry, the special agent became even more confused. The next of kin was an officer in the United States Navy – a pilot. Even more surprising was the officer's current duty station: USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
The Admiral was informed of the startling news and the man immediately decided that it was time to phone a friend.
"Get me Vice Admiral Rabb, JAG Corps!"
Saturday, February 25th
Judge Advocate General Corps
Falls Church, Virginia
08:00 local time
At exactly 08:00 hours, Vice Admiral Harmon Rabb marched past his yeoman and on into his office.
"Admiral, sir," the yeoman said. "You have a call on line one from a Rear Admiral Mace, sir, CCSG12."
"Thank you, Hanks," the Judge Advocate General replied as he sat down behind his capacious desk.
Rabb punched the correct button on his desk phone as he swept up the receiver.
"Mace!"
"Admiral."
"How you doing as CCSG12?"
"My dream job," Rear Admiral Mace replied. "I could never leave this life. How about you, sir?"
"Dream job, Mace – but, yes, I miss that life. What've you got for me?"
"Two girls that we picked up from a hijacked container ship off Somalia. The girls are special, it seems, and one of them has next of kin – aboard the Lincoln, right here. So far, neither the girl in question, nor the pilot in question has been notified. I see a legal minefield here and who better than the Navy's number one lawyer."
"Thank you, Mace – you always loved dumping the crap on me!" Rabb laughed.
Rear Admiral Mace talked on for another twenty minutes, explaining what had occurred aboard the container ship before the Marines had gone aboard.
"I am aware of what those two girls are," Rabb responded. "I'm flying out to brief you and try to make some sense of this mess."
That was a surprise to Rear Admiral Mace, but it was also an order coming from an officer with one more star than himself.
"I look forward to it, sir."
At the end of the call, Rabb called out a name.
"Coates!"
"Sir!" Warrant Officer Jennifer Coates responded a minute later as she appeared in the doorway.
"Arrange us transport to the Abraham Lincoln."
"Us, Admiral?"
"Me, you, Bud, and Yates. We depart this evening. We can meet a COD at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia."
"That's where Maddie is, Admiral," Coates pointed out with a grin. "With VFA-103."
"What a coincidence," the Admiral responded with a twinkle in his eye.
"Yes, sir."
"Oh, we'll probably have two extra passengers joining us at Souda Bay."
"Let me know the names, sir, and I'll add them on. Anything else, sir?"
"No, thank you, Coates."
Once Coates had vanished, the Admiral picked up his phone and he dialled a number from memory.
"Hello."
"Hello, is Mrs Lizewski there, please."
"Maybe."
"Who is this?"
"Jamie Lizewski."
"May I speak with your mother, please, Jamie? Tell her it's Harm."
"Okay."
Harm chuckled as he awaited the boy fetching his mother.
"Harm?"
"Mindy!"
"I smell trouble."
"You got that right – how would you like an all-expenses-paid cruise in the Indian Ocean?"
That afternoon...
Aboard Alpha Foxtrot
Gulfstream G650ER
Over the North Atlantic Ocean
Saoirse was still unsure about what she had gotten herself into.
Mindy had not given up very much – as usual; she liked her little surprises – apart from telling her that the trip was Predator-related. Stephanie had not been pleased about being left out, but Mindy had insisted on Saoirse coming alone. It was only when they well over the ocean that Saoirse had been briefed on what was going on – and then had come the crunch. Mindy had handed over a set of Navy Working Uniform Type III which consisted of a digital green pattern shirt and trousers, coyote brown T-shirt, a black pair of boots, and an eight-point cap in the same digital green pattern.
"You're making me a common sailor while you become an officer?" Saoirse commented as she compared her yeoman's uniform to Mindy's uniform which was that of an ensign.
"Because, I am special, and you're just an annoying little runt," Mindy grinned.
"I'm almost sixteen, you know."
"I know, Saoirse, I know."
Sunday, February 26th
Several very, very long hours later...
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Saoirse and Mindy departed the aircraft dressed as US Navy sailors – ostensibly as an ensign and a yeoman.
They were directed towards a terminal building where they found four people awaiting their arrival, dressed in almost identical uniforms.
"This is Mrs Mindy Lizewski and Miss Saoirse Hella," Vice Admiral Rabb said in introduction. "Mindy, you know me and Warrant Officer Coates. This is Captain Bud Roberts and Lieutenant William Yates."
"Pleased to meet you all," Mindy said, and everybody shook hands.
"I've heard a lot about your exploits, since we last met," Captain Roberts said with a smile.
"All good, I hope?"
"Mostly."
"Let's go," Harm suggested.
The small group were handed a lifejacket and a helmet each which they all put on with help from a pair of sailors. They were then led back outside and out to a waiting Grumman C-2A Greyhound. The propeller-driven aircraft sat on the tarmac awaiting their arrival and they were loaded up the stern ramp and allocated one of the twenty-eight aft-facing seats aboard. Mindy found herself seated next to Harm while Saoirse sat next to Coates. Mindy was very pleased to have Harm next to her as it would be her very first landing on an aircraft carrier. Saoirse's expression was one of pure horror, but Coates was talking to her and reassuring the fifteen-year-old.
They were airborne, very quickly, and they turned south, towards the Arabian Sea.
Three very noisy hours later...
With an almighty thud, the C-2A Greyhound's main gear struck the flight deck of the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN and Mindy felt extreme deceleration forces on her body as the aircraft snagged the number three arrestor wire in what was more or less a controlled crash.
"That was fun!" she exclaimed with a grin.
Across the narrow alleyway between the two groups of seats, Saoirse was also grinning. They remained in their seats as the aircraft taxied off the angled flight deck and over towards the island superstructure on the starboard side. A hydraulic whine was heard as the wings were folded during the taxi manoeuvre. Once stopped, and at a signal from the crew chief, they quickly unbuckled their harnesses and were led out the rear via the ramp and out onto the flight deck of the giant aircraft carrier. Mindy and Saoirse were both amazed by the sheer size of the vessel. Mindy's keen eyes locked onto everything. The F/A-18 Super Hornets being prepared for launch from the bow catapults, a dozen yards away. The SH-60F Oceanhawk starting its engines on the angled flight deck where it had just been pushed by a small aircraft tractor. With a loud roar, the afterburners on the Super Hornets lit off and then with a bang, the catapult fired, and the first Super Hornet left the bow of the aircraft carrier, being pushed from zero to 143 knots in just two seconds, a cloud of steam billowing out behind. Twenty seconds later, the second Super Hornet was shot off the end of the flight deck. The smell of the aviation fuel was intoxicating, and Mindy found that she loved it.
"Don't even think about it!" Harm yelled into her ear. "You're not buying a purple carrier!"
Mindy scowled.
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Off the Somalian Coast
09:30
The moment they passed into the superstructure and the hatch was shut, the sounds of the flight deck diminished sharply.
Mindy found a young officer awaiting them, a broad grin on her face. The officer saluted the Admiral who saluted back.
"Welcome aboard, sir!" Lieutenant Mathilda 'Mattie' Grace Rabb called out.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Harm grinned back. "Good to see you."
Harm and Mattie exchanged a brief hug before there was a brief round of introductions. Mattie then led them all up, down, and around as they headed for Rear Admiral Mace's cabin. However, Harm stopped as they passed a compartment.
"... those are two crazy bitches, man – that older one has some nice tits on her – bet she could be fun in bed too..."
Harm's expression hardened as he backtracked and stepped into the compartment. The two seamen froze as they saw an officer enter and their eyes almost popped out of their heads as they noted the three stars arranged vertically on the officer's uniform. Neither of them had ever seen a Vice Admiral, let alone been addressed by one.
"I am sickened to think that two American sailors would ever talk like you two have been – maybe a tour or two in McMurdo or Greenland might give the both of you pause for thought. Get out of my sight!"
The two sailors fled.
"Mattie, could you take the ensign and her yeoman to see the two girls, please – I'll be in flag country."
Saoirse scowled as Mindy grinned.
"Yes, sir."
..._...
Mindy and Saoirse were led aft and down before Mattie finally stopped outside a compartment with a blue watertight door.
Mindy raised an eyebrow as she noticed the brass plaque on the door as Mattie unlatched the hatch and pulled it open. They stepped over the high coaming to find themselves facing a blue-painted grilled gate. A marine stood inside the hatch which he opened on a nod from Mattie. They were then directed down a narrow lozenge-shaped hatch to the deck below.
"Is this the brig?" Saoirse asked as the surroundings clicked in her mind.
"Yes," the marine replied before turning to Mindy. "This way ma'am."
The marine led them past a small office and through a steel-barred door. They passed two small single-bunk cells before stopping outside a larger cell with twelve bunks arranged three high in four stacks, six per side. Inside, the two girls lay on two of the bunks.
"Open it," Mindy directed, and the marine released the steel-barred door. "Leave us."
As Mindy and Saoirse stepped over the coaming, the marine headed back to his post while Mattie remained at the hatchway, watching.
The brig
Both girls ignored the two individuals who had just entered the cell.
They were both pissed off and very annoyed. Their angry tempers had subdued slightly after their rescue – mainly with the kindness that the doctor aboard the destroyer had shown them – however, aboard the aircraft carrier, the two girls had found a severe environment well outside of their comfort zones and that had caused the resentment from their situation to simmer over. Both girls were angry inside and that anger which had been simmering for years was finally beginning to overflow and they began to act out. They were both scared about their surroundings and their future. They trusted no one but each other. It did not help that they had received many snide and cruel comments from the crew they came in contact with. Word had quickly spread about the dead pirates and the sailor who was attacked, so the two girls were already starting at a loss.
Initially, the two girls had been allowed to wander – with escort. That had allowed them to get some fresh air and feel some sense of freedom. For mealtimes, they had eaten on one of the main mess decks. That had been fine for breakfast and lunch – then dinner had arrived and there had been an incident. It was one of those situations where tired adults met grumpy kids who were already simmering like a dodgy stick of dynamite. There had been blame on both sides and the adults should have known better but, nevertheless, a minor altercation had turned into a fight which had put two sailors in the sickbay with minor wounds. The two girls had emerged unscathed, unsurprisingly, as not one sailor had wanted to hit either one of them. It had eventually taken a pair of strong sailors to subdue each girl and pin them to the deck pending the arrival of the marines.
After their arrival in the brig, the ship's executive officer had torn into the NCIS Special Agent who in turn had voiced his own displeasure to the two miscreants.
..._...
"Hello, girls."
Ruth turned her head to see an officer standing a few feet away from her. Ruth said nothing, turning her head back and returning to staring at the bunk above her.
"This isn't right," Saoirse growled. "Why are they locked up in here?"
"They put two sailors into the sickbay," Mattie replied. "They both kind of exploded and started to throw punches."
"Sounds about right," Mindy commented dryly. "Can we talk, girls? I'm Ensign Lizewski and this is Yeoman Hella."
"Why?" Eva wanted to know.
Saoirse stepped over to Eva and she sat down on the bunk beside the girl. Saoirse faced away from Eva and she turned her head so that Eva could see behind her right ear. Saoirse's long hair was tied up in a neat bun on the back of her head making the task easier. Eva looked up and she performed a doubletake.
"That would make you a little young to be in the Navy," Eva commented as she sat up.
"The uniform is a cover," Saoirse said. "I'm Saoirse Hella. I am a Predator. I am here to offer you a new life."
"What can you do?" Ruth asked as she too sat up.
"We can give you a home. We can make sure you're safe. We can give you somebody to talk to. We can give you a future."
"We have no future," Eva pointed out. "All we can do is kill."
"That isn't true, Eva," Mindy said.
"What the fuck would you know?" Eva demanded.
"More than you think," Mindy replied. "I want to give you both a safe future."
"Why?" Eva demanded. "You want access to our skills, is that it?"
"No. If you want to go through life never harming another person, then so be it."
"I don't believe you," Eva said. "Hella may be one of us, but you are not. I don't trust anybody but Ruth. Sorry, Hella, but I don't know you, so I can't trust you."
"That's fair," Saoirse commented.
"Look, Eva," Mindy said forcefully. "You are both in shit, what with what you did on the ship and with your behaviour onboard here. If you want to reintegrate into society, you have to understand that life has rules. I know that it is not easy for any of you to fit back in, but it can be done."
Eva had had enough. She had received several lectures in the past day or two and she just wanted to go back to being in control of her own life. She was not a kid and she did not need anybody telling her what to do – she had had enough of that during her five years of intensive training and indoctrination. The girl stood up and she advanced on Mindy. To Eva, Mindy was no one special, but an easy target representative of everything she detested. It had been the American Government which had caused her to lose her childhood and become a cold-hearted killer. To Eva, Mindy wore the uniform which represented the American Government, therefore making Mindy a valid target.
Mindy, of course, saw her coming and she recognised the vengeful expression on the young girl's face. The punch when it came was easily dodged and Mindy simply stepped away from Eva, not wanting to escalate things. Mattie called for the marines, but Mindy waved her away as Eva made to attack for the second time. It was a combined kick and punch which Mindy easily dodged while throwing Eva to the floor of the cell. Ruth made to leap off her bunk in support of her friend, but she was intercepted by Saoirse who pushed Ruth back onto the bunk. Eva was not having it and she was back on her feet in an instant but not for more than a second as Mindy proceeded to put the thirteen-year-old back down on the deck. Before Eva could regain her feet, Mindy's face was in hers. Eva found herself staring into a pair of green eyes which immediately began to worry the girl. Eva did not like what she saw in those eyes. The eyes were full of a darkness which frightened Eva to her very core, and she felt a huge sense of foreboding as she stared into them.
'Who the hell are you, Ensign Lizewski?' Eva thought, and she began to calm down, knowing that she was not going to win against the woman.
..._...
That evening, Mindy was invited to have dinner with the Admirals and Captain Roberts.
Saoirse escorted Eva and Ruth to a different messdeck while Coates made sure to be present to ensure that nothing untoward happened. Saoirse was quick to put the two girls' minds at ease while they ate, and she soon coaxed a smile out of Ruth while Eva proved to be a much tougher nut to crack. But, on the positive side, they managed to get through a meal without anybody getting hurt.
"Do we really have a future?" Ruth asked Saoirse.
"Yes, you do."
That evening, Saoirse joined the two girls in a spare officer's cabin and the three girls talked into the night. As for Mindy, she enjoyed her evening with the senior officers before retiring to the same cabin. She smiled as she found all three girls fast asleep. Mindy was very tired, what with all the flying and the very good food that night.
She undressed, slid beneath the duvet and closed her eyes – she was asleep within a minute.
The following morning...
Monday, February 27th
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN
07:00
After a good night's sleep, Mindy awoke early, and she found her way to the wardroom for breakfast.
One advantage of being an ensign was that everybody ignored you, both rank and file. Mindy enjoyed the anonymity which allowed her to gather her thoughts over breakfast. A mug of coffee finally woke her up enough to head outside onto vultures' row. From there, she was able to look down on the entire 333-metre long flight deck. There was plenty of activity as aircraft were moved around the flight deck and spotted for launch.
"What do you think, Ensign?"
Mindy turned to find a grinning Harm and Mattie.
"Morning, Admiral, Lieutenant," Mindy replied.
"How would you and Saoirse enjoy a private flight?" Harm asked Mindy.
"In what?"
Vice Admiral Rabb grinned.
10:00
Pri-Fly
Rear Admiral Mace stood in Pri-Fly on the O-10 level.
Behind him, Captain Edwards, the ship's commanding officer gazed out of the armoured windows at the flight deck below. There was a jovial atmosphere as they were joined by Captain Abrams, the carrier's CAG, or Commander Air Group. The three senior officers, with over fifty years of combined experience between them, made up the three most senior officers aboard. They were interested in seeing one of the Navy's most senior officers possibly make an ass out of himself as he took command of a $70million dollar aircraft.
Mace knew full well that his friend was arguably one of the best pilots in the Navy, if not the country, but it was still amusing as it was very rare for any officer above the rank of captain to fly.
10:00
F/A-18F Super Hornet
Victory Two Zero Four
Harm and Mindy
Catapult Two
Mindy had been excited at the thought of the flight, but as she sat, tightly strapped into the rear cockpit of the F/A-18F Hornet, she had suddenly become very nervous.
Mindy sat in the rear of the VFA-103 Super Hornet while Vice Admiral Rabb sat in the front seat finishing his pre-flight checks. Mindy looked to her right to see an identical aircraft with Lieutenant Rabb in the front seat. In the rear seat, a worried-looking Saoirse looked back at Mindy who waved.
"You ready for the ride of your life?"
"You make me puke and I will make you suffer, Rabb!" Mindy growled in response.
Harm simply laughed as he exchanged signals with the crewmen on deck. Then it struck like a kick in the ass. The deck ahead suddenly vanished, and Mindy could see only water and sky ahead as the aircraft banked to the left and climbed. After two more minutes, she saw the second aircraft moving alongside in tight formation about a dozen yards off the left wingtip.
Together, both aircraft banked and altered course towards the east.
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Pri-Fly
"Well, he got off the deck," Captain Abrams noticed.
"Maybe there's life in the old guy, yet," Rear Admiral Mace commented.
"I'll tell him you said that, sir," Captain Edwards chuckled.
"I'm off to the CDC to see what he's up to," Rear Admiral Mace said as he walked out of Pri-Fly, fully aware that trouble and Rabb often found one another in the most unlikely places.
F/A-18F Super Hornet
Victory Two Zero Four
Harm and Mindy
"Well?" Harm asked.
"Awesome!" Mindy replied, grinning inside her oxygen mask.
"This is so cool!" Saoirse commented over an inter-plane frequency.
"Hell, yeah!" Mindy agreed.
"Zero Four, Zero Seven, time to go supersonic," Harm radioed to Mattie.
"Roger, Zero Seven."
Mindy then felt another kick in her ass as the Super Hornet accelerated through Mach 1 and continued onto Mach 1.2 climbing sharply into the azure blue sky. Then Harm put the aircraft into a high-G barrel roll and Mindy found herself pressed into one side of her seat. Then the aircraft went wings level before the nose suddenly went down and Mindy felt herself lifting out of her ejection seat, only restrained by her straps, as negative G took control.
"Rabb, you are a fucking asshole!" Mindy breathed with difficulty and she heard an unrepentant chuckle in response.
Mindy sighed with relief when she found her backside touching the ejection seat again but then she screamed as her butt was pressed even harder into the ejection seat. The Super Hornet had suddenly taken on a significant up-angle before rolling out inverted at the top and plummeting downward toward the sea, fifteen-thousand feet below. Mindy heard a scream which sounded suspiciously like Saoirse as both aircraft pulled out of the dive and then climbed back to level flight.
"Funny cunt!" Mindy exclaimed as she finally found her voice.
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Combat Direction Centre (CDC)
A few decks below Pri-Fly, Rear Admiral Mace monitored one of the giant screens displaying the airspace for over three hundred miles in every direction.
The Admiral had directed a sailor to zoom in on the two aircraft which had just launched. The readouts attached to each symbol allowed those watching to see the heading, height, and speed of the aircraft. As they watched, the aircraft increased speed, punching through the sound barrier and then the height increased at a fast rate before it dove sharply, losing ten thousand feet in a blink of an eye before it bottomed out and then headed back upwards like an express elevator. Mace laughed, knowing that the two pilots were throwing their aircraft around the sky in an effort to make their passengers puke their guts out.
"Oh, Harm, you've lost none of that famed sense of humour," he chuckled.
F/A-18F Super Hornet
Victory Two Zero Seven
Mattie and Saoirse
"You okay, back there?" Mattie asked.
"I'm not talking to you," Saoirse groaned. "You're evil."
"I thought you Predator thingies were tougher than that," Mattie pointed out.
"On land, I'll beat you to a damn pulp in a second, Pallas!"
Mattie laughed.
"Okay, Foxy!"
"Don't call me that!"
F/A-18F Super Hornet
Victory Two Zero Four
Harm and Mindy
Everything felt slow as Harm lined up the aircraft on the glide slope.
The carrier deck, large when aboard, suddenly seemed like a postage stamp amongst the azure blue waters. Then the carrier swiftly became bigger and bigger . . . then suddenly, they were over the ramp and the island superstructure was suddenly right beside Mindy and she was certain they were going to fly off the bow as the two engines ran up to full military power and then there was a thump as the main gear struck the flight deck with a tremendous crack and then Mindy was thrown forward into her harness and she struggled against the massive deceleration as the tail hook of the Super Hornet caught the number three arrestor wire strung across the after end of the flight deck. With mounting horror, Mindy watched the end of the angled flight deck coming closer and closer before they stopped dead.
Then they began to roll backwards as Harm throttled back and the aircraft began to taxi forward under the guidance of a yellow-topped marshaller. They turned to the right, passing behind an E-2 Hawkeye which was lining up on the number two catapult for take-off. They taxied over to the starboard side and were turned into a parking slot. The engines wound down completely, and the canopy came up. Almost immediately, a crew chief appeared beside Mindy and he assisted her with the straps and other attachments.
"Congratulations, ma'am!" the crew chief said.
"What for?" Mindy asked.
"Surviving Hammer, ma'am," the chief responded with a chuckle.
"I heard that!" Harm challenged. "The ensign beat me fair and square."
Harm waited on deck while Mindy was guided out of the cockpit and down to the deck. Mindy was grinning like she had just received a new Ducati. Two minutes later, Mindy was joined by an equally grinning Saoirse.
Behind her, Mattie smiled happily.
Two days later
Wednesday, March 1st
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Suez Canal
11:00
There was to be no more fixed-wing flying as they were slowly cruising northward at the princely speed of eight knots.
During the transit, which was expected to take about fifteen hours, the opportunity was taken for the crew to enjoy some downtime. The flight deck was awash with men and women sunbathing on their steel beach. They gazed out over the endless swaths of sand which bordered the canal along most of its length. The entire carrier strike group was passing through the canal, and two ships back the destroyer, USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL sailed under the command of its Executive Officer.
Vice Admiral Rabb, Captain Roberts, Lieutenant Yates, Ensign Lizewski, Warrant Officer Coates, and Yeoman Hella were gathered in the in-port cabin of Rear Admiral Mace. They were soon joined by Captain Edwards and two other naval officers.
"Admirals, ladies and gentlemen," Captain Edwards said. "This is Captain Ryan Bennett of the CHURCHILL and his navigator, Lieutenant Sarah Perrin, Royal Navy."
Mindy was stunned to see Ryan and to hear the very English pronunciation of the junior officer's rank.
"Small world, Ensign Lizewski!" Ryan chuckled.
"It is, Captain, sir," Mindy replied with a huge grin as she looked over at Sarah.
Once the formalities were out of the way, the conference quickly got underway.
Rear Admiral Mace's Quarters
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Warrant Officer Coates handed out briefing folders to all those present.
"These folders contain the particulars of two American girls who were betrayed by their Government. First, we have one Eva Horton. Eva is thirteen-years-old and she was taken in August 2011. Second, we have one Ruth Anders. Ruth is eleven-years-old and she was taken in November 2013. Both girls were among many taken for a clandestine CIA program called Urban Predator. You each have a briefing folder on that reprehensible abortion – sorry," Coates lectured.
"No need to apologise, Coates," Mace said – he had already read the Urban Predator file and he had been horrified. "A very apt description."
"Thank you, sir," Coates continued. "As you have also seen, the two girls are highly trained. Eva is at the top of her game, highly qualified in all forms of assassination as was aptly demonstrated aboard the MV PACIFIC GLOBETROTTER. Ruth was only in Phase 2 of her three-phase training, but as she proved aboard the previously mentioned vessel, she played her part perfectly. Both girls were apparently being trafficked and I don't even want to contemplate the future those two girls might have had – if any."
"So," Captain Edwards commented. "That was why they appeared in AFIS, because of their time with the CIA?"
"Yes . . . and no," Coates replied. "Both girls are card-carrying members of the CIA, despite their ages. However, as far as Ruth Anders is concerned, she has been in AFIS for a lot longer than Eva Horton has. As is usual for military dependents, Ruth was entered into the system when she was four-years-old, by her father. Ruth's father was Lieutenant Junior-Grade Thomas Peters, United States Navy. Lieutenant Thomas Peters went missing, November 19th, 2013, along with his wife and eight-year-old daughter."
"Am I missing something here?" Captain Roberts asked.
"I'm getting to it, sir," Coates replied. "The NCIS Special Agent who took the girl's fingerprints reported that AFIS reported a living next-of-kin for Ruth Anders."
"And that next-of-kin is aboard this aircraft carrier," Rear Admiral Mace finished.
There was amazed muttering from some in the room who had not been privy to that little titbit of information. Saoirse, Ryan, Sarah, Budd, and Lieutenant Yates had had no idea of that small piece of information.
"We kept that part confidential until we had it confirmed," Vice Admiral Rabb explained. "That confirmation only arrived a few hours ago."
"Who is this person?" Captain Edwards asked.
"Lieutenant Michael Boone, sir," Coates replied.