Covert-Completed(book 1 Dr Jenny Stevens Series)

Chapter 23

I stacked my meager materials before me. Actually, I laid my meeting brief and my tablet on top of it. It was a paltry attempt of trying to match the competition. Competition being all others who occupied the seats  along the conference table. Glancing at the stacks of materials situated in front of just about every attendee just made me sink further down in my seat.

"Abdul Malik, the detainee caught by the branch of special forces in India is none other than the terrorist behind the massacres in Iraq. But he is not the reason for why we are here today. As you know, we had our teams stationed in Jordan marshal in a delivery of emergency food and water to the survivors of that massacre. Our involvement in this UN operations had been kept out of the media lime light. As far as the world knows, Australia had not attempted to unite with the rest of the first world countries to aid the victims of these terrorist attacks. We kept a low profile for a reason..."

I listened intently to everyword feeling apprehensive and excited all at the same time. It was unbelievable that I was here sitting in on a meeting that had all the elements of national importance. The weight of responsibility felt heavy on my shoulders. What was I doing here? This was entirely adverse to my carefree hippy nature. This was a load I was not mentally capable of dealing with. I tapped on my tablet and made notes of what was being said. Our speaker was the head of the national terrorist squad. Their headquarters were based in Sydney. From what he was saying, here in Melbourne the I formation is trickled down the mainstreams to us on  a need only basis.

I flicked through several screens compiling my research even as he continued to drone on providing context to what was being said. I didn't like what he was saying. It seemed that a family member of the terrorist Malik was even now on a boat to Australia. Intel has reasons to believe that boat will never make it to Christmas Island where all illegal immigrants are detained on arrival or turned away. Worse still a group already based in Melbourne is said to be planning his rescue off that boat.

There was no knowing what they would do to the other travellers in that boat but there was every chance they would simply sink it, refugees and all. It certainly wouldn't be the first time they did that. Not from the looks of things in the immigration reports. I scanned through the materials in the immigration archives then out of habit hacked into the Victoria Police's aged system of records on the criminally inclined.

I didn't realise just when it was I tuned out of my present environment and instead immersed myself in my usual haunts within the web of information. But it was the loud clearing of someone's throat that jarred me back to the present.

As usual my first reaction was of intense annoyance. I didn't like to be disturbed when I was in the midst of my research. But on encountering the hard stares of all those around the table, I could only backtrack on that first reaction and tried to gulp down my overwhelming dismay.