Chapter 23

Múirne of Ursula’s Clan watched anxiously as the group gathered in the conference room on An Clochán. Although she had interacted with them many times, it had been quite a while since there had been a face to face meeting with them. She was anxious, very nervous, and a little embarrassed by the situation that caused her to call this meeting. Ursula was at Comrie, working with GISS’s staff trying to organize the information of what they now knew were unplanned disappearances of their agents. Unfortunately they lacked many key details for what seemed like a rapidly increasing number of agents. The combination made it a very difficult task. Múirne felt like everything was about to explode, destroying what their clans had created from Rusty and Sarah’s original idea.

It was nearly a year ago when they had started shifting GISS operations away from Comrie to multiple locations on Earth. Their intent was to set GISS up so the operation could turned over to others then they could leave with the Órarduine. Since Ursula, John and she had determined that the disappearance of agents was a threat, they had questioned whether attempting to leave GISS as an operating entity was a good idea.

Seeing everyone was there Múirne said, “Good morning, the reason we are here is to discuss the implications of the noticeable loss or disappearance of GISS agents. As we have been unable to locate any of the missing, we suspect they were abducted. Currently we believe that this began at least nine Earth months ago and possibly a bit longer. Now we desperately need help in either resolving this or in understanding what is happening. This is why you were invited to participate in this meeting. We included several Security teams, as we expect that we will need their spook talents.” Several chuckled when she mentioned spooks.

“Gosh, Múirne,” said Clancy, in a booming Irish brogue, “just how deep is this hole? We have enough talent in this room to make all the governments on Earth very nervous.” Laughter rolled across the room.

When Múirne stopped laughing, she said, “Clancy, we don’t know, as many of the bits don’t seem to fit together. We hope that you along with those here can give us some ideas to pursue, or an insight into how to solve the riddle.” She went over the information they had regarding the missing GISS agents, how it began and how it was impacting business.

Múirne said, “About three weeks ago, Lorelei and Ted, the Grandview TV station announcers, suddenly took an unannounced vacation. This surprised those in Communications as neither mentioned it before getting they received the email. It wasn’t long after this that Grand View TV station received a ransom note demanding $25 million. Based on the contents of the ransom note, it appears that they were kidnapped for supporting the Órarduine and hosting the special about them. No one has seen them since the email was received except for the video accompanying the ransom note. The six GISS agents assigned to them are also missing and were not mentioned in the ransom note. No one has spoken to any of them. The ransom note was sent by an organization known as the Council of Brothers. They’ve threatened to public behead them, if the ransom was not paid.

“About the time the TV station received the ransom note, four GISS agents disappeared in Tangiers. That group consisted of a male and three females. They had gone to check out the waterfront. A scout ship dropped them off in the waterfront area. They have not been heard from since then. It isn’t clear from their notes what prompted them to go there.

“Another recent event, perhaps unrelated, is the appearance of several large ships near Comrie. Two ships have visited nearby uninhabited islands. At each island, a group went ashore for several days. The ships appear to be privately owned, and each is registered in a different county. So far we’ve been unable to identify the real owners.

“That sums up what we know, without getting into specific details. We have 96 agents that we can’t locate. We’ve asked all GISS agents that we could locate to come to Comrie. All the active personal protection contracts have been transferred to organizations with whom we have a reciprocity agreement. More recently, new contract inquiries have dried up and there have been cancellations. Attempts were made to contact several clients who had pending contracts. The one we reached was evasive about the contract’s status.

“I really can’t blame them. Many of us feel that it took us much too long to realize someone was abducting our agents. If we had realized it, then maybe we could have done more to protect Lorelei and Ted.”

Rusty said, “Let’s save evaluating what we did or missed for later. Now we to solely focus on resolving the current situation.”

“Múirne,” asked Todd, “where did the disappearances take place? How many each time?”

“Most recently four in Tangiers, multiple locations in North America, six in England, two in Australia, six in China and five in France. All the disappearances were of pairs, except for Grand View and Tangiers. Our agents work in pairs and they usually room together. The disappearances were noted because they either did not show up for their assignment or they did not respond to messages.”

“All of your agents are former military, right?”

“Yes.”

“Did those who disappeared serve in Spec Ops or Afghanistan?”

“Many of them did.”

“You indicated that you now thought this had been going on for nine months or more. Do you know when it started?”

“Not really. We never had an agent leave us until about 9 Earth months ago. Many of our agents are free lancers and work for us when they are needed, which makes it a little hard to set a time when this began. During this time, several advised us that they would no longer be available. We’ve been unsuccessful in reaching others.”

“Múirne,” said Cathan, “I propose we link as a group and do a dream-walk to look at the last known location of the most recent disappearances.” Several in the room frowned. “Yes, I realize that we haven’t done this as a group before, but most, if not all of us, have done this as a clan. I think many of us feel like we need to move as rapidly as possible to resolve this. To us, a dream-walk seems like the best way to quickly gather the information at the last known location of the agents.

“In listening to Múirne’s summary, my conclusion is that someone is out to destroy GISS. The Council of Brothers seems to be a prime suspect due to the ransom note. By the size of the ransom demand it indicates they are out to destroy the Grand View news operations, and potentially intimidate others. It isn’t clear what the motive would be, except that terrorists don’t always have a rational one.”

“Cathan,” said Eric, “some of the terrorist support groups may have realized that it was the Órarduine who had a hand in rescuing the TTC soldiers in Afghanistan. We know several intelligence groups believe the TTC unit that engineered it had outside assistance. Each of them feels that we are the only ones capable of the support indicated in the reports.”

“Most of you are aware of the dream-walks some of us have taken,” said Cathan. “By joining together to do it as a single entity, we should be able to visit the site of each incident. Once at a site, we can look for clues. We don’t want to spend any more time than necessary at each site. If there are people there, we should try to examine their thoughts.”

Just as Cathan finished, Aine and Creidne appeared alongside Múirne, startling her. “Cathan, your idea is excellent, but we think a more prudent approach would be for each clan to do a separate dream-walk. Each clan would then focus on just one location. That way others can be available to aid any who have difficulty. You need to watch your energy reserves and not over-extend your time in the dream-walk since it consumes a lot of energy, especially from this distance.”

“As soon as you all return to your ships,” said Rusty, “we will move to Earth orbit. This will reduce your energy requirements. For those currently living at An Clochán, please join us on Dóchas.”

“Thanks, Aine and Creidne,” said Cathan. As everyone started to leave for their ships, Cathan walked over to Aine and Creidne, and gave them a hug before asking, “Creidne, was my error in committing everyone to the single effort?”

“Mostly. Very few clans have used dream-walk to reach an unfamiliar object or location. Even fewer have tried using the ethereal version. These locations are quite a distance from each other, so this would add to the length of a dream-walk. You didn’t really commit everyone, just those here.”

“Aren’t dream-walks a passive activity?”

“Yes, but they still consume energy. If energy levels get too low then you can become stuck, until your bodies expire. I think some of your Security teams would have suggested dividing up, before everyone had committed. At that point we could have let it proceed and closely monitored the effort. However, we had a strong feeling that completing this effort correctly in a short time was very important so we interrupted.”

“Thank you, again,” said Cathan, as she entered the shuttle with her group.

With everyone onboard the three Dóchas class ships, they departed on the short ride to Earth orbit. “Dream-walkers,” said Sarah, once the three cloaked ships were in Earth orbit, “in a moment you will see your clan’s dream-walk assignment, along with the available background information. Remember, in a dream-walk, you are only an observer. You do have the ability to cause a person to relive a memory. Be careful in how you use it. If the person is telepathically sensitive, it could cause some issues and draw unwanted attention.

“Once you have completed surveying the assigned location, return. Don’t take any longer than necessary. When you return, immediately go over what you saw among your clan, and share it with the Intelligence AIs. Now that you have your assignments, good luck.”

On Dóchas, Múirne looked around apprehensively at the apparently dozing Órarduine, wondering what she should do. Shannon and Saoria of Shannon’s Clan stepped up to her and put an arm around her. “Múirne,” said Saoria, “relax. Our dream-walkers are doing fine.”

It was an hour before all the dream-walks were completed and the clans satisfied with their results. Shannon told everyone to relax while they returned to Mars orbit so they could use the conference center at An Clochán. In the meantime, the AIs would organize the data and look for patterns.

It was after lunch when they sat down to go over the results of the dream-walks. “Good afternoon,” said Shannon. “As many of you know, the AIs have begun trying to put the puzzle together. There are a couple of things that need to be done on Earth this evening. Four Security teams will go to the homes of four different GISS teams that disappeared. These are locations where neighbors saw two large trunks being placed in a truck about the time of the disappearances. Entrance to the buildings will be done by bots, because there is a strong suspicion that a gas was used to subdue the victims. Where did that conclusion come from? In the dream-walks, there was no sign of a struggle at any of the locations.”

“Back to the trunks for a moment,” said Lydia. “One neighbor noticed that the people moving the trunks had on white uniforms, and thought the sign on the truck said something about medical supplies.”

“Didn’t BEN Cruises ship people in padded crates?” said Cathal.

“Yes. Those crates would be difficult to get through the door of a typical home or apartment. However, a trunk could be placed in a crate later. This could be either on the truck or at a transfer point. Once the trunk was sealed, no one would know the contents.”

“Good point, Cathal.”

“If we presume the method of capture is correct, then we need to figure out where they went. Crates of medical supplies are not uncommon. If they are marked perishable, they tend to move rapidly through the freight system, so an air shipment seems likely.”

“Why not try to work it from the freight companies outward?”

“What do you have in mind?” responded Lydia.

“Well, let’s look for locations that handle air freighting of medical supplies. From other incidents we can estimate the crate size. We could look at both incoming and outgoing shipments. We know the big cities close to where the disappearances took place. Outbound, I would think we should look for destinations that appear inappropriate.”

“Think big,” said Anessa. “My sense is that these disappearances are only a small part of this. 100 slaves a month to one location would result in a pretty big pile of cash, without much overhead.”

“The Tangier site receives a lot of medical supplies,” said the Dóchas Intelligence AI. “The other thing that was noted in the dream-walk results was that the people at the receiving location there seemed to be aware of the dream-walkers presence.”

“That is interesting,” replied Calvin. “Was that true for those we thought were spotters?”

“Yes.”

“We need more information on that warehouse.”

The discussion continued for a couple of hours before Shannon gave out the assignments for follow up. It would be a busy evening.

On the waterfront in Tangier, Morocco, three SUVs with blackened windows stopped in front of a warehouse. When the vehicles stopped, several bodyguards immediately exited the leading and trailing vehicles. A tall man then exited the middle one. The man waiting to greet him said, “Lorenzo, how are you?”

“I am well, Akil. How about you?”

“Things could be better, but I am doing well. Shall we go to my office, where we can talk more freely. I am sure you have many questions.”

As the two men sat down in Akil’s office, a woman dressed in a light colored sheer jilbab entered. “Johara, bring Lorenzo a coffee, and a citrus for me.”

The men waited until she left then Lorenzo said, “Akil, I hear you recently picked up four strangers in the area.”

“Lorenzo, you have good sources. Yes. Our suspicions were tripped, because our spotters did not see them until they were within a block of here. I was upset with the spotters, until we reviewed the surveillance films.” Akil paused as Johara returned carrying a tray, and instead commented on their communication difficulties. The two men watched as she sat the items on the table. As she did, Lorenzo noticed that she was missing her little fingers.

When she stepped out the door, Lorenzo said, “I take it you have concerns of trust with the slave. If that is the case, is it wise to have her in your office?”

“It is always wise to be careful what you say around slaves. She is very skilled and appears to be loyal. However one should always be careful of who is around when you speak of sensitive matters, especially when it involves our joint interests.

“Back to your question about the strangers. They suddenly appeared on one of the surveillance recordings, but they were not in those of the areas behind them. It turns out that they were GISS operatives, a man and three women. All four were former US military. It took less than two days of nearly continuous electrical torment and a little sleight of hand before they began answering our questions.” Akil laughed.

“That quickly?”

“Yes,” replied Akil as he rubbed his hands together relishing the quick success. “Surprisingly, it was the man who broke first. I was sure one of the infidel sluts would be first. We used tranquilizer darts to take them since we can operate freely in this area.” Lorenzo listened carefully to Akil as he told of the capture. When telling of the torments they inflicted on the four Akil went into great detail, as he apparently thought it was a great accomplishment.”

“This is quite different from what you’ve talked about before.” Lorenzo was deeply disturbed by Akil’s enthusiasm in describing how they treated the four to get them to talk. Lorenzo had concerns about his organization’s arrangement with Akil’s group. His observations today and this conversation only added to that concern.

“It is similar but significantly more intense. Since they were a group, we used their concern for each other against them, along with some theatrics. If they were going to be sold then we would have used different techniques. That is not a concern since the Council of Brothers buys all the GISS agents that we acquire.

Lorenzo listened as Akil enthusiastically recounted their preparation before the Council shipped them to their camp. Everything Lorenzo heard fit with other stories he’d heard of the atrocities done to the captured infidels. What they did to them was almost unbelievable, but he knew that this man was capable of that and more. As he listened Lorenzo wondered why Akil was disclosing this now. All of this was well outside their arrangement. An arrangement that gave him nightmares.

“Is this new? I don’t remember you speaking of this before now.”

“Not really. Only those with backgrounds similar to GISS or soldiers are purchased by the Council to be live training aids at their schools,” replied Akil, with some anger. “They killed many of our brothers, so it is right that they are used to train our fighters. They learn more when they have realistic props. Besides they are infidels and worth much less than any real farm animal.”

“Won’t that cause quite an uproar, when others learn of this?”

Akil laughed then said, “No. Only the trainers and students are permitted near these camps, besides they are very isolated. We can adjust the behavioral drugs so the students can practice interrogation techniques or use them as training aids in other situations.”

“Why the pins through the wrist?”

“They serve as suspension points. We have done it to some of the sluts purchased by clubs.”

“Did you learn anything from them?”

“They only confirmed the information we already had. Unfortunately, we did not learn anything new.”

“So the coordinates you have are correct?”

“As best as we can tell.”

“Well there is nothing like a base or anything else anywhere near those coordinates. There are a few uninhabited islands a considerable distance away.”

“We’ve had the same results. Everyone we’ve talked to has always flown there. So we think the only way to get there is to fly.”

“All of this is very interesting. Sergio is most concerned about the auction’s delay. This most recent sudden postponement has created some concerns about this source. This is mostly because the buyers are very anxious to obtain more stock and any delay worries them. They are very pleased with the quality and performance of the sluts they’ve purchased.”

“Sorry, Lorenzo but the cancellation was unavoidable. We lost our preferred secure satellite communication link several months ago. Setting up the auction without it has been difficult, which is why there have been delays. We have been promised that a new preferred connection will be active in a few days. As soon as I know it is available, we will send out the invitations again. We thought it was best to delay, so we could ensure the confidentiality of the participants.”

“So, three days from now?”

“No, four.” Lorenzo frowned. “Due to the delay, there will be more than 500 sluts in this auction. They range from freshly acquired to fully conditioned. This will be the best group we have offered at the auction.”

“Does that include the GISS captives?”

“No. We don’t count them as the Council has exclusive rights to them. They’ve already deposited the funds in our account along with a bonus.”

“The GISS captives moving through this location concerns me, and it could have significant consequences.”

“They’re kept totally separate from our core business. Also, if the US paper comes through with the ransom for the TV correspondents, it will add $25 mil to the total. So we should end up sharing something around $40 mil or more after expenses.”

“By the way, you never said what you did with the man.”

Akil went into gleeful detail as he told of how they mutilated him before selling him to a tribe in Central Africa. “The tribe bought him to be a center piece in a celebration. The Council filmed his preparation and will release it once the ransom funds are in their account. The initial release will go to one of our TV stations.”

“The woman announcer?”

“Her sentence is 25 years for defaming Allah and spreading misinformation.”

“How are you going to handle her release?”

“The ransom demand is for her not to receive a death sentence,” Akil smiled, “although some may have misread it. She is a very beautiful woman so we may find a special place so she can serve us.”

“So you’re planning on keeping her,” responded Lorenzo.

“It is a consideration, but it depends on how she responds to the conditioning. Say, would you like the see the training area?”

“That would be interesting,” responded Lorenzo although he wanted to decline. This was not a business they wanted to be in, but circumstances sometimes made real choices difficult.

Akil pressed several buttons on the console and a panel slid back on the wall, revealing a wall-sized monitor. In moments the monitor came to life, showing several women sexually engaged. Akil smiled when he saw the bulge in Lorenzo’s pants. Akil narrated the scenes, as he switched from one location to another. When Akil paused at one scene, Lorenzo glanced at him, and saw him smiling as he watched the woman being tormented.

It was after Akil had paused at several scenes that Lorenzo noticed the lack of life in the GISS prisoners expressions, even though they responded to the stimulation. He considered asking about the expressions, but stopped as he realized the group’s intent. These barbarians would use anyone they considered an infidel as an animal, or less. Any woman not of their sect caught violating their beliefs would be lucky if she was used either as a domestic slave or killed outright. Any men that was not of their beliefs would die, and probably slowly. Today it was the GISS agents, tomorrow it could be another group. To them, any infidel was to be used just like any other animal. The sudden clarity of his conclusion shocked him, but he was careful not to let it show. While this group hid behind religion, its attitudes toward other groups was similar to those seen in other extremist groups.

Lorenzo’s thoughts were interrupted when a tall naked blond walked up and knelt in front of him. As soon as she knelt, she spread her knees and placed her hands behind her neck, while smiling slightly. Johara knelt in front of Akil as she watched the blond woman. Johara moved her hands to the front of Akil’s robe, spreading it open. While Johara was attending to Akil, the blond looked at Lorenzo, waiting for his acceptance.

After a few moments he realized her intent and nodded. The blond then undid his pants, pulling them down when he lifted his hips.

Akil looked over toward them just as the blond began licking Lorenzo’s cock, then turned his attention back to the screen, smiling. He was pleased that Lorenzo did not reject the slave.

Turning his attention to the monitor, he smiled when he saw the tears coursing down the woman’s cheeks. Her torment drove her arousal which was evident by her actions, which added to her humiliation. Akil smiled as he congratulated himself at the sleight of hand, by creating the right scene that resulted in the recipient’s humiliation. With the combination of drugs and automated dildoes, it was easier to remold the women into a product they could sell.