Stolen!

Jessica knocked on the Commander’s Office door and waited for a response. “Come in!” Came the sharp command. She tucked her hat under her arm and entered the Commander’s office. As per military precision, she centered herself on his desk and reported. “Ah, Capt. Halverson,” replied the Commander, “please sit.” Jessica sat in the chair across from the Commander’s desk and waited silently for him to speak. “I’m sure you’re wondering what your new assignment will be,” said the Commander. “Yes Sir,” answered Jessica. The older man with the grizzled eyebrows took in her appearance before opening her record book. “You’ve had a distinguished career since you joined the Corps 10 yrs ago,” stated the Commander. It was a well-known fact that she was ambitious and always volunteered for the most difficult assignments. She was always one to pull her own weight, and that of anyone else in her units. Few could really keep up with her when it came to counter operations or surveillance, much less her skill in self-defense or evasion. The Commander handed over a file for her perusal and stated, “Memorize these facts and details and then be ready to step into your role by this time next month, Captain.” “Yes Sir,” replied Jessica. “My language skills won’t be quite up to par,” she stated, “but I should blend in well enough. An American working in that area is given a lot of leeway.” “Yes,” stated the older man. He knew she would fit in well in the European community. Many ex-pats lived and worked there, so an American girl working for an engineering firm wasn’t unusual. She was pretty and could blend in anywhere. She was striking if she chose to be, but she could also play down her beauty and become unnoticeable. She was the perfect operative. This mission was different, she’d be working alone with back up miles away, not in the next block. If something happened, she’d have to be able to get herself out and meet the extraction team outside of the city. Jessica looked at the older man and saw the concern written on his face. His knit brows gave away his thoughts. “Sir,” began Jessica, “you’ve trained me yourself. You know I’m the best person for this mission. I won’t let you down.””I know you won’t,” stated the commander. This mission will go off without a hitch. To ensure we don’t have any unforeseen problems, I’m sending you over to medical to have a tracker inserted in your arm.” Jessica raised her eyebrows at this. “Do you really feel that’s necessary?” Asked the the wide-eyed girl. “I’m afraid so,”replied the commander. “Too many young ladies have vanished from the region. No trace and no sign of them even on the black markets. I’m not taking a chance with losing you. Your family would never forgive me, not to mention I have to live with your aunt, and she’d have my balls for breakfast if I didn’t take every precaution.” He stated as he ran an exasperated hand through his grey hair. She simply smiled at her uncle’s statement. Nodding her head, she took the file and rose to her feet. “I’ll head over to medical right now Uncle Andrew, and don’t worry, you know I was top in my class for escape and evasion tactics.” “Yes, you were,” the older man said with a smile. “Alright Jess,” said the older man softly, “good luck and go get ‘em.” They both rose and the older man walked around his desk as he pulled her into a hug. Jessica froze for a second, and then returned the hug to her favorite uncle. She then stepped back and saluted the superior officer. He returned the salute and dismissed her. Jessica left his office and went to secure the file in the safe in her quarters. Afterwards she made her way to medical and dealt with the implant procedure. Once the medical team was certain the tracker would work anywhere in the world, she was released to 24 hours observation to ensure the tracker wouldn’t be a problem under the tender skin of her upper arm. It was placed in the softer flesh of the underside of her upper arm. The doctor advised her to not lift any weights for a few days to ensure it wouldn’t work its way out. She simply nodded and went back to her quarters. Jessica spent the rest of her time going over the file and committed every detail to memory. She had an eidetic memory, so it was easy for her. She then worked on her language skills to better fit into the Eastern European town she was headed to. Languages were another talent she had. With the neurolinguistic system she had discovered by accident, Jess found she could learn most languages in a few weeks and sound like a native. She was a true chameleon – blending into most any environment and culture. With that she readied her gear and stowed her personal vehicle in the unit's storage facility. After getting a good night’s sleep, she would travel to the target country and settle into her assigned role.