The major smiled and said, “Yes, her clearance came through and she signed all the necessary non-disclosure paperwork yesterday. I’m glad you’re back so you can join us while I brief her. Mike? You should come to this also. I may as well explain to both of you that Sofia and I have started dating and … ah … that has … ah …”
Missy laughed and said, “Created a ‘need to know’ situation for her. I understand, sir!” She looked at Mike and said, “Just like with the SOD Group personnel, relationships can’t really get too serious for Team Twenty-Two members unlessbothparties have been cleared to know all about what we do.”
Mike looked at Major Grimes with a big grin and said, “Not that anyone here is suggesting things between you and … Sofia is it?”
Major Grimes was actually blushing now but he quickly recovered and said, “There areseveralreasons why having Captain Petrova get fully cleared is a good idea. For example, Oliver and Candace Bessom will be visiting here at the base tomorrow. The captain will very likely be seeing a lot of them in the months ahead, with those two being assigned at our Embassy in Ankara and her being the aide to Lieutenant Colonel Horvath.”
“Ahhhh, of course!” said Missy with a sly smile. “It will be good for her to understand how Oliver is a witch and how the two of them are also working for the CIA. We didn’t mean to put any pressure on whatever feelings you and this woman you have recently beendatingmight be having.”
Major Grimes realized he couldn’t fool Missy and resigned himself to saying, “Let’s go enlighten our visitor all about why everything about my team is so highly classified.” He led them out of the room and over to the Operations Center.
There was already a large gathering of team members seated around the large conference room table and many called out greetings to Missy, welcoming her back. Missy noted that Sofia had already been ushered in and was seated in one of theVIP seats for this briefing. She went over and said, “Captain, I’m very pleased that you are here and will soon be getting this very unique special presentation.” She assumed this would be similar to the presentation which the SOD Group typically gave. She added, “Before we get started, let me introduce you to my husband Mike.” She gestured at him and Mike came over and extended his hand to the captain who stood up.
Sofia smiled and as she shook Mike’s hand she said, “Congratulations to you both. I understand you two are just returning from your honeymoon.”
Mike grinned and said, “We returned over a week ago. We had a fabulous time in New Zealand, which I’ll let Missy tell you all about. We don’t want to interfere with this briefing which you are about to receive.” He and Missy now went over and sat down on two seats which were available for them and Sofia sat back down as well.
Major Grimes said, “Yes, let me get started with this important briefing, Captain. It will actually include some items revealing what Lieutenant McCrea has been doing just this past week. I’ll be referring to her now using her first nameMissysince, as you’ll learn in the briefing, so much of what you are about to learn is all abouther.”
Several of the team members now gave a little cheer, saying, “Hear, hear!”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Saturday, July 16, 2022
Missy enjoyed both seeing and sensing all of Sofia’s reactions as she listened to Major Grimes and looked at the various slides in his presentation which were being displayed on the large screen on one wall. Sofia was now learning about witches, werewolves and werecats and, like everyone else who got to learn about them, she was amazed and enthralled.
When the major mentioned how Missy was one of the supernaturals which were being described in his briefing, Sofia looked over at Missy briefly with a surprised glance but then looked back at Major Grimes.
“Our Paranormal Branch … only known as “P” Branch by those not cleared to know that name … is the U.S. Government’s agency which has been monitoring these supernaturals for many years,” explained the major. “Until Missy came along, that was almost always on a non-interference basis. Then, having already provided Missy with some needed assistance … this isn’t part of the briefing but I can’t resist mentioning how that assistance was to prevent her from becoming a vigilante back when she was a teenager.” This brought several laughs and Sofia once again glanced over at Missy.
“But I digress,” continued the major. “When “P” Branch needed to convince our Congress to continue providing the funding which that agency needed, they opted to do that by demonstrating how potentially useful supernaturals could be. They asked Missy during her first year at West Point to spendher Christmas break over in Afghanistan. She was in their debt, after all.
“She agreed and she did a recon mission for them, searching for three German civilians who had been kidnapped. She not only located them inside a secret Taliban base but she also rescued them. She got them out of that base and arranged for their successful extraction by helicopter. She arranged for that by using her supernatural ability to communicate with her then boyfriend Mike.”
When the major gestured over at Mike, several of the team members again gave a little cheer, saying, “Hear, hear!”
While explaining all this, Major Grimes had been flipping through a few of his presentation slides containing maps. These illustrated the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, the location of the Taliban base which Missy had found and the extraction point where the helicopter had picked up the three German civilians whom she had rescued.
Sofia now said, “I remember when those Germans were rescued. That was a big story back then. And I know that Taliban base you’re talking about was the one which the Afghan military destroyed during Campaign Angel’s Wing.” She stared at Missy and it was obvious she was trying to understand some things. Then she said, “I think you need to tell me more about Missy’s supernatural abilities because I can’t imagine how she possibly could have accomplished any of that. Also, is Mike another supernatural?”
Major Grimes chuckled and said, “Mike is not a supernatural but he does have the ability to get mental messages from Missy provided he’s within five hundred miles of wherever she might be. Missy claims that’s because of theirmatebond.Missy is a Shifter and she did all that recon in her mountain lion form, wearing a GPS collar.”
Master Sergeant Town now pointed at some photos on the wall and declared, “Here’s what she looks like when she’s in that form.”
Mel then chuckled and declared, “Like that famous line from those Incredible Hulk TV shows … you wouldn’t like her when she’sangry!” This brought a lot of laughter and even Sofia had to grin. Then she looked at Missy and asked, “Is that really you? I’m now seeing why all of this is so highly classified.”
Missy merely shrugged but made her eyes glow with golden speckles which refuted the innocent expression she put on her face. Then she said, “Please ignore Sergeant Jasinski’s comment … she’s got a rather twisted sense of humor and she exaggerates a lot.” Now there were more laughs.
Major Grimes said, “It’s my understanding that they named Campaign Angel’s Wing after Missy. One of those Germans had referred to her as an Angel of Death.”
Now Mike said, “Maybe Sergeant Jasinski’s comments weren’t all that much of an exaggeration.” Now everyone laughed and there were a few more cries of, “Hear, hear!” One voice even asked, “Was that the reason you married her?” Another voice suggested, “Yeah, he wanted to stay on hergoodside!”
It was obvious how everyone there really looked up to and admired both Missy and Mike.
Major Grimes said, “When the U.S. Government asked Missy to leave West Point after her first year so she could domore recon and provide us with even better Intel, that’s when she joined Team Twenty-Two. We were merely one of the Special Forces A-Teams who were helping the Afghans back then. She has remained assigned to our team ever since.”
“That explains her unique situation … going back to West Point yet somehow earning all those combat awards while continuing to serve with this unit, right?” asked Sofia. She shook her head from side to side in amazement.
