Page 88 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

"What's up, boss? Are we being invaded?" He then noticed who else was on the video conference in progress. "Ah. I see. You need me to go to Iran again."

"The extraction of Kyra's family is more complex than initially anticipated," the chief said.

Yamanu sighed. "I heard that the team is leaving tomorrow morning."

"That's right," Onegus confirmed. "If we are lucky, we will get the kids before the Doomers apprehend them, or we will dispose of the Doomers and leave the kids where they are."

Kyra frowned. "That wasn't part of the plan."

Kian shifted his gaze to her. "The kids are young, Kyra. Eight to fifteen. It's better for them to stay with their families."

"I want to get my sisters out as well. Just one of the husbands is decent enough to consider leaving them be, but they are the couple with the two daughters, who are most in danger. We need to get them out."

Kian raked his fingers through his hair. "We'll leave the decision up to them if that's possible. But if we can't eliminate Durhad's cronies, we will have to take Yasmin and her family whether they want to come or not."

"Okay," Onegus said. "Now, let's talk strategy." He looked at Kyra. "Which sister should we approach first?"

Kyra didn't hesitate. "Soraya and Rana—the mothers of the girls we rescued. They'll be desperate for news, and with their daughters already gone, they'll be more receptive to what I have to tell them."

"Their husbands will be complications," Turner noted. "Especially Fareed with his Revolutionary Guard connections."

"There's also the issue of surveillance," Max added. "With that level of security, their homes are being monitored, possibly bugged."

"It would be easy for me to make contact with them by myself," Kyra said. "Dressed in traditional garb, a chador or burka, I'd blend in, just another female relative coming to offer support."

"You can use the bathroom with water running to talk to them inside the house, or you can take them outside for a walk," Max suggested. "Something casual that wouldn't arouse suspicion."

"I need to think about a good excuse," Kyra said. "I'll have something ready by the time we get there. I'll just need to stop in a store to get what I need for camouflage."

"You've obviously done this type of work before," Turner commented.

The ghost of a smile crossed Kyra's face. "Many times."

On screen, Jade shifted impatiently. "What is our extraction plan once we make contact? Even with Yamanu's shrouding, their absence will be noticed."

"Not necessarily," Yamanu said. "I can plant all kinds of things in the guards' heads. Like one sister visiting the other, and vice versa. By the time they untangle the web, we will be gone."

Max took the idea and ran with it. "There are also doctor's appointments, shopping trips, and other seemingly legitimate reasons. You can shroud each group as they move to the extraction point."

"Where do we come in?" Jade asked. "From what I've heard so far, you don't need us."

"If the Doomers show up, your job will be to dispatch them," the chief said. "And since we don't know how many of them you'll encounter, I'd rather you had enough on your team to take on as many as might show up."

Jade leaned back in her chair. "We are not attacking an entire stronghold like we did in Tahav. I think I can make do with just Dima and Anton." She turned to the female warriors. "Unless you are eager to come."

"I liked it," Rishba said. "The village is so boring."

"I also want to come," Asuka said.

The other two shrugged, indicating that they didn't mind either way.

"Okay then," Jade said. "Rishba, Asuka, Dima, and Anton. That's more than enough."

Max wasn't sure she was right, but since Onegus and Kian seemed to agree, he didn't comment.

"Speed is crucial," Onegus said. "We go in, make contact, and extract as quickly as possible. Ideally within a forty-eight-hour window or less."

"That's ambitious," Max said, mentally running through the logistics. Coordinating the movement of multiple families across Tehran without detection would be challenging, to say the least.

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