"Because of a lot of things. Nazari's still out there somewhere. We burned operational security coordinating with Delta. The whole region is hot and getting hotter." Mara stood up. "But we've operated in worse conditions. We'll make it work."
Thirty minutes later, the full team was assembled in the ops center. Mara, Nadia, Winter, Kira, Reese, Harper, and Quinn. Everyone who made Shadow Veil function. Everyone who would need to be on board for this to work.
Quinn pulled up the intelligence on the main screen. "G.I.D.E.O.N. flagged this forty-eight hours ago. I've been running additional analysis to confirm before bringing it to the team. Here's what we know: traffickers are moving ten to fifteen women through northern Iraq. Eastern European origin, likely from Romania or Moldova based on the chatter. They're being sold at an auction in eight days at a location forty kilometers southeast of Erbil."
"An auction," Harper said quietly. "Like livestock."
"Exactly like livestock. Buyers from Saudi Arabia, UAE, possibly Turkey. High-dollar sale. These women are being marketed as educated, attractive, Western-looking. Premium merchandise." Quinn's voice was tight with controlled anger. "The sale location is a compound owned by a local warlord who rents it out for this kind of thing. Security will be heavy. Armed guards. Multiple buyers who'll have their own security. This isn't going to be a simple extraction."
Nadia pulled up satellite imagery. "What's the compound layout?"
"Single-story structure. Walled courtyard. Two entrances that we can identify. Guard rotations suggest eight to twelve armed personnel at any given time. During the sale itself, we'd be looking at potentially twenty-plus hostiles between guards and buyer security." Quinn highlighted key points on the imagery. "The women will likely be held in the main building. Separate from the auction area until they're brought out for viewing."
Kira's medical background kicked in. "Condition assessment?"
"Unknown. Best guess based on typical trafficking patterns is malnutrition, possible abuse, likely drugged to keep them compliant. We'd need to be prepared for medical intervention immediately upon extraction." Quinn pulled up more data. "I've identified three possible exfil routes. All of them are complicated. We're forty kilometers from Erbil, which is the closest friendly location. That's a long way to move fifteen traumatized women through potentially hostile territory."
Reese studied the routes. "We'd need multiple vehicles. Can't fit fifteen women plus our team in one transport. That means coordinating a convoy through an area where everyone will be looking for us once we hit that compound."
"What about air extraction?" Winter asked.
"Possible but risky. Helicopter landing that close to Erbil would draw attention. Iraqi security forces, local militias, everyone in the region would know something was happening." Reese pulled up flight corridors. "We could stage farther out, but that increases ground travel time and exposure."
Mara watched her team work through the problem, each person bringing their expertise to bear. This was what they did. What they'd built over nine years. The ability to look at an impossible situation and find a way to make it work.
"What about Nazari?" Nadia asked. "Last we heard, he was still operating in the region. Still active after we took Steele from him."
Quinn pulled up a different file. "Nazari's been quiet since the Steele extraction. We know he's alive, still running his network, but he's gone deep. Operating from the shadows. No confirmed sightings in four months. My assessment is that he's laying low, rebuilding after losing his family and his prisoner."
"Does that make him more or less dangerous?" Winter asked.
"Both. He's cautious now, which means he's harder to track. But he's also not actively hunting anyone. As far as we can tell,he has no idea we were involved in the Steele rescue. Delta took the public credit for that operation. We're still ghosts to him." Quinn looked at Mara. "The bigger risk is general operational security. We've been in this region before. We left a footprint even if we covered it well. Going back increases the chance someone connects the dots."
Mara nodded. "Understood. But fifteen women. We can't walk away from that."
"I'm not suggesting we do. Just making sure everyone understands the risks." Quinn closed the file. "If we're doing this, we need to do it perfect. No mistakes. No exposure."
The room was quiet for a moment. Everyone processing the scope of what they were considering. Then Harper spoke up. "When was the last time we turned down an operation because it was too risky?"
"Never," Nadia said.
"Exactly. We don't do this because it's easy. We do it because those women have no one else." Harper looked around at the team. "I'm in."
"In," Kira agreed.
"In," Winter said.
One by one, they all committed. Mara felt the familiar swell of pride and gratitude for these women who chose this life every single day. Who risked everything for people they'd never met. Who understood that the work mattered more than the danger.
"Alright," Mara said. "We have eight days to plan this operation. Nadia, start working tactical scenarios. I want options for entry, extraction, and everything in between. Reese, flight logistics. We need to get the whole team to Iraq, stage our equipment, and be ready to move on short notice. Winter, equipment manifest. Full loadout for everyone plus medical supplies for fifteen potential patients. Kira, medical protocols. Prepare for worst-case scenarios. Quinn, keep monitoringthe intelligence. Any changes in timing, location, or threat assessment, I need to know immediately."
"What about local assets?" Nadia asked. "Do we have anyone on the ground who can provide support?"
"I've got a contact in Erbil," Quinn said. "Private security contractor who's helped us before. I can reach out, see if he's available for logistical support. But we keep operational details compartmented. He doesn't need to know what we're doing, just that we need staging area and emergency backup."
"Make it happen." Mara looked around at her team. "We wheels up in six days. That gives us two days in-country to finalize reconnaissance and prepare. Questions?"
No one spoke. They all knew what came next. The intense planning. The preparation. The mental shift from training to operational. The acceptance that in six days, they'd all be putting their lives on the line for fifteen strangers.
