“Very funny, Mike,” said Missy with fake chagrin. “Sergeant DeMarco merely enjoys being helpful like that. He’s the one who always watches over me during missions where I leave my body behind and go teleporting in my spirit form.”
Sergeant Major Hernandez said, “Actually, DeMarco will never forget how Missy healed him after he got wounded by a bullet in his hip. He healed up in a few days and did what she told him to do with the bullet she extracted.”
“Yep, he drilled a hole through that and wears it on a chain around his neck,” explained Master Sergeant Town with a grin. “When he and Mel began hooking up, the rest of the team were very surprised. We never thought we’d see the day when any soldier would win her heart. Before he joined the team, she had only gone out withcivilianswho were overseas, far from home and far from their wives.”
Mike said, “Well, this civilian is very happy to be overseas andwithhis wife.” He happily glanced at Missy and the other men there all laughed.
Missy stopped eating long enough to say, “Best husbandever!” Then she continued to enjoy her breakfast.
Later that morning, Major Grimes did assemble everyone in the Operations Center and present Missy with her latest Purple Heart award. Then he invited her and Mike to go with him that afternoon over to the Air Force Headquarters for the meeting with Oliver and Candace. He said, “They’re both coming back to this headquarters later, of course, so they can meet with Sami. But Colonel Horvath is excited about having them come to Izmir Air Base. He’s invited his boss Colonel Prusik from Incirlik Air Base for this as well.”
Missy said, “Candy always gives such wonderful talks about when she was kidnapped. She did those at various embassies and explained how she wanted to join the Foreign Service someday as her way of serving her country. Now thatshe is fulfilling that destiny, I’m sure her speech will be very uplifting.”
“She won’t be mentioning Team Twenty-Two since her rescue operation is still highly classified,” explained Major Grimes. “But she’s visited the Mid-East enough times that she told me it will be okay for us to acknowledge we’ve already met.”
“Since this is a formal occasion, I assume we’re wearing our Dress Blues for this, right?” asked Missy. “I’ll make sure Mike looks presentable.”
Major Grimes smiled and said, “Yeah, that’s the uniform and I have no doubt Mike will look great.”
Later that afternoon, the three of them drove over to the Air Force Headquarters and indeed, Mike looked very nice in his light gray suit. He had selected a dark red tie to match Missy’s hair color. Missy and the major were wearing their green berets with their dress blue uniforms and as the three of them approached the entrance, side by side, with Missy in the middle, they looked very impressive.
There were two Air Force NCOs opening the entrance doors as guests arrived and they both saluted Missy and the major. They returned those salutes and with Mike, they went inside. Another NCO escorted them to the auditorium where everyone had gathered for this event.
As Missy had predicted, the speech Candace gave was wonderful and the audience was very appreciative. She looked absolutely gorgeous up there on the stage and every bit the famous celebrity which she had become ever since her miraculous rescue three years earlier.
When she had finished and with Oliver had gone to the small meeting room for all the VIPs where cocktails and snacks were being served, Missy finally had the opportunity to approach them. They were standing next to Colonel Prusik and when he noticed how Missy and Candy embraced, he asked, “Do you two already know one another? Why am I not surprised?”
Candy said, “We met in Afghanistan years ago and my husband and I have become very close friends with Missy and Mike. We were at their wedding last month and they were at our wedding last year.”
Major Grimes was also acknowledged to be a friend and the conversation continued with many pleasantries after that. Both Lieutenant Colonel Horvath and Captain Petrova participated in this and it was obvious the lieutenant colonel was bursting with pride at being able to host this event.
After Major Grimes and Sofia had managed to quietly slip away, it was Oliver who noticed Missy’s latest award and asked, “Is thatanotheroak leaf cluster on your Purple Heart ribbon, Missy? Last month, you only had one of those.”
Both Colonel Prusik and Lieutenant Colonel Horvath now noticed that as well. The colonel said, “Wow! Congratulations, Lieutenant. Do we have enough clearance to know how you earned this latest award?”
Missy smiled and said, “Sorry, sir! Like all my combat awards, the details are all highly classified. Thankfully, I’ve fully recovered from all my injuries as you can see.” She gave him a big smile and put a few golden speckles in her eyes.
Oliver looked at Mike and said, “Candy and I will stop by Team Twenty-Two’s headquarters a bit later. She wants to sayhello to a few more members on that team whom she met in Afghanistan.” He was saying this to again explain to Lieutenant Colonel Horvath why they were not staying for any banquet dinner later. They were returning to Ankara the next morning.
Mike nodded and said, “Yes, we knew that. Captain Petrova was visiting us yesterday. I believe she will be bringing you over when it’s time for that.”
It was indeed a few hours later when the meeting at Team Twenty-Two finally took place. Sami Massallah was now there and everyone on the team who had met these visitors was excited to be seeing them once again. New team members were introduced and they recognized this was truly an honor.
Then, over a late dinner meal, with the “officer” table now extended to accommodate the three additional guests, Sami updated them all about his various concerns in the Mid-East. He explained, “The chaotic U.S. withdrawal left intelligence gaps and it’s not clear how effective our “over-the-horizon” capabilities might be as a result. Concerns also linger about the thoroughness of screening for Afghan evacuees entering the U.S. There are potential national security risks as I’m sure you can imagine.”
“Okay, what else should we be worrying about?” asked Oliver.
“Amongst our many worry items is the Iran-Russia partnership. Russia is seeking Iranian drones and ballistic missiles which they will use in Ukraine. They might supply Iran with advanced military equipment, like fighter jets, in exchange for those weapons. That, of course, would increase Iran’s regional capabilities.”
Missy said, “Even though Turkey is a NATO member and has condemned Russia’s Ukraine invasion, I’ve learned from my Moscow visits that there is still some deep economic cooperation, especially in energy and trade. Turkey has acted as an intermediary, facilitating grain deals, and avoiding sanctions, while Russia has provided energy and tourism, showcasing a pragmatic partnership. I’m guessing this might be why you’re hoping Oliver and Candace can do some spying for you.”
Sami nodded and said, “Exactly. With Russia becoming a major energy supplier for Turkey in oil and gas, and with Turkey increasing exports to Russia, there is this very strategic balancing act. Turkey is positioning itself as a neutral mediator between Russia and the West, leveraging its NATO status.”
Now Candy said, “And, with the Iranians being Russia’s partner, having Turkey keep channels open and focusing on shared interests, that allows for cooperation to continue despite underlying tensions. What affects things with one partnership will affect things with the other.”
“And, having you and Oliver insinuating yourselves into the middle of the Turkey-Russia partnership will help us deal with things in the Iran-Turkey partnership,” said Sami. “Use your celebrity status to win the confidence of those in Turkey who are making key decisions. With the loss of Intel which we’ve experienced after withdrawing from Afghanistan, whatever you and Oliver can provide will be not only valuable but desperately needed.”
Mike said, “I know from the meetings I’ve been in at the SOD Group that all the Intel they’re getting from the electronic devices which Missy has infected only goes so far. They’ve beenhoping Sami can rebuild all his sources which can really help provide a fuller picture.”
