MindOps Ch. 04

Jimmy was on his way back from his second deployment in Iraq. It had been a very tense and stressful deployment. Many of the Marines in his special operations unit had been wounded, but luckily none had been killed. Sitting in the plane on the long flight to Germany for gear turn-in and change out, he was reflecting on the time spent reading the minds of the people in Iraq. Jimmy had listened to thoughts without interfering, just listening for problems that might come up. He had also taken control of people, and made them act according to his wishes. He had prevented many IED's from being detonated. He had made suicide bombers detonate their vests early, in relatively safe locations. He had even intervened in the rape of a young woman.

*********

Six weeks earlier

"Zulu three, this is actual, over."

"Actual, three. Go."

"We have several locals fitting the profile enter a house in your area. Looks suspicious. Check it out. Location being transmitted to you now."

"Roger Actual. Three copies"

"Zulu actual, out"

Jimmy and his spotter for the day were sitting on a rooftop in one of the nastier slums in Baghdad. They were located on top of the tallest building in the neighborhood, since it offered them an unobstructed view of the slums known for producing many of the young men who were willing to fight and die for just a few dollars. The situation in Baghdad was not as dismal as the newscasters liked to make it out to be. Still, the desperation of the unemployed masses located in these slums made it very easy for the true bad guys to recruit young men for dangerous attacks against the Marines, the Green Zone and even each other. Spats of in-fighting between the leadership of the local terrorist cells were fairly common. It bothered no one if the terrorists wanted to kill each other, yet the fighting always spilled into the streets and managed to kill the innocents.

"Mike, you get those coordinates from the skipper?"

"Yep, it's three blocks to the west. We should be able to see the corner of the building from here...... Yep, got it."

Jimmy's spotter, Cpl Jackson was looking through a very high powered spotting scope setup on a small tripod. He was able to see the corner of the building, including the side entrance. There was a small group of young men sitting outside in the ally way smoking and talking.

"Jimbo, It looks like there might be a party going on in there. Take a gander man."

Jimmy took a look through his spotting scope and picked out one of the young men to target with his gift. A little concentration, and Jimmy was able to 'tune in' to the man's mind.

"Aww Fuck!"

"What is it man?"

"It's not terrorists, It's a gang rape! Fucking assholes! They have a young girl tied up inside. Apparently one of them made a score selling stolen MRE's and was able to BUY himself a girl! These people are fucking unbelievable! What father would sell his daughter! FUCK!!!!"

"You gonna tell the skipper?"

"No, not yet. You know he'll just tell us to ignore it and let the cops handle things. Those fuckers are probably getting the leftovers as a bribe. No, you keep an eye out, and I'm gonna take care of this."

Jimmy took control of the man and started picking his way through the would be rapists mind. Apparently there were ten of the men who had paid quite a bit of money to be present for the very first time this woman was to be abused. Seems like the entrepreneur of the group had decided to auction off the girls virginity to the highest bidder. The men had already been able to take a look at the girl and make sure she was clean and worth the opening price of the auction.

The man's memory of her was exquisite. Apparently she was very beautiful. She was currently tied to a structural support post with her arms tied above her head. The position put her bountiful breasts on full display for the potential winner of the auction. The entrepreneur had spent a little money up front and made sure the girl was bathed and groomed. He'd had her pussy shaved bare and even gone to the extra effort to have some makeup applied to her face.

"She's trussed up inside man. One of us is going to have to go in and get her......"

"Uh dude.... you know we cant do that! If we leave the POSS, the skipper will have our asses."

"Look, It's three blocks away. I can get over there no problem. I'll just make the assholes forget why they are here, walk away and I'll go get her. You just keep an eye out for me, and cover with the skipper if he calls for an update."

"What am I supposed to tell him?

"Tell him I was dumb enough to eat some local food and am crapping my guts out. He knows I'm a sucker for the kabob girls outside the front gate".

Jimmy was already moving toward the stairs, fastening up his flack vest, and checking his weapon was ready. Hopefully he wouldn't need to use his M4, but better to be ready than not. He double timed down the stairs and took a quick look out of the back door before venturing out into the street.

Thanks to is gift, Jimmy was able to make himself unnoticed to the general populace. A lone Marine jogging through the slum would have been an easy target otherwise. Only someone who was actively watching would have noticed Jimmy, and luckily no one was. Jimmy moved quickly the three blocks to take up a position across from the the building where the girl was being kept.

"Mike, you got me?"

"Roger Dodger"

"Anything hinky?"

"Besides your ass disobeying orders? Nope"

"Byte me, fucker"

"Your not my type. Go get her and get back here quick like"

Jimmy was focusing on the group of men smoking in the alley way. He was able to get a general listen into the conversation they were having. Seems they were very excited about having a go with the young lady. Some of the men had already decided they could not afford the exorbitant sum required to be first with her in bed, but would be more than happy to enjoy her company after some of the more wealthy men had their turn.

Jimmy began to concentrate and sent a general command to the men in the alley. He made them forget why they were there, and remember that they had to be home. In a slow muddled group, they began to move back to the street and disperse into the crowd. Jimmy loped across the busy street and placed himself flush against the exterior wall of the building. He took a peek inside, but it was too dark to make anything out. Unfortunately, Jimmy had to see a target to make initial contact. So he was effectively going to have to go in blind.

Jimmy brought his weapon up to his shoulder and moved quickly into the building, using the techniques learned through hours of training in house to house combat. He may have been a "special operator" but he was still a Marine, and learned how to fight the enemy just like any other. Unfortunately, he didn't have three other Marines behind him to cover his six while entering the building.

Jimmy found a corner that seemed out of the way, and took a second to let his eyes adjust. Once they did, he looked around and noticed the room was full of boxes. Most likely, this was a storage location for one of the local merchants. Jimmy started to creep around the rows of precariously stacked boxes and moved deeper into the building. Upon coming to the end of a row, Jimmy saw a man standing in front of a door as if to guard it. A quick peek into the thug's mind confirmed Jimmy's assessment. He had been paid to make sure none of the bidders on the impending rape tried to get to the girl early. He had been promised a few dollars worth of the local currency and half an hour with the girl after the paying customers were through with her for the day. Jimmy made the thug forget his reason for being there and sent him on his way home. That quick glance into the thugs mind also showed Jimmy that the young 'boss' of the tawdry operation was in the room with the girl.

Steeling himself for a potential exchange of fire, Jimmy quietly opened the door and moved through it with his weapon at the ready. What he saw when he entered the room made his blood boil. The girl, who was as beautiful as the memory Jimmy had stolen earlier led him to believe, was on her knees with her hands tied behind her back. She was being face fucked by a dirty looking local, obviously the entrepreneur of this decidedly fucked up operation. The man was so enthralled by watching his cock slide in and out of his victims mouth that he never noticed Jimmy enter the room.

Jimmy couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was like something out of a bad porn movie. How could someone treat another human being like this! The poor girl was crying hysterically and gagging around the mans cock. His hips pistoning the rigid piece of meat in and out of her mouth and throat. Jimmy didn't even think about using his gifts. He was too angry. He rushed forward and slammed the butt of his weapon into the mans temple. The man dropped to the ground in a heap, and Jimmy followed him down, smashing the mans face repeatedly until it was just a mess of blood and goo.

Breathing heavily, Jimmy looked up at the scared young woman. Her mouth was still open as if still around the penetrating cock. She was too startled to scream, to confused to do much of anything. The trauma she had already experienced was too much for her to deal with. Seeing her captor beaten to death was just more than she could handle, and she promptly blacked out and dropped to the ground.

"Fuck! I don't have time for this!" Jimmy swore to himself.

Luckily, the girl was underfed and very light. Jimmy picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder in a 'fireman's carry' and began to make his way for the door. Breathing heavily, Jimmy moved out of the building and into the alleyway.

"Fuck! I've got to stop and think!..... THINK!!! FUCK!!!!"

Jimmy quickly got his head back on straight and calmed down. He realized that if he didn't give himself the advantage of cover through his gifts, he was NEVER going to make it across the street, let alone back to his hide. A US Marine carrying a tied up girl would cause all kind of problem with the populace. After calming himself for a few moments, Jimmy carried his limp package across the street and back to the hide he had been sharing with Cpl. Jackson.

Jimmy carried the girl up to the roof and laid her limp body down next to Mike.

"What the FUCK is this! You never said you were gonna bring her back here! Fuck man!"

"That fucker was throat fucking her and she passed out when I butt stroked him. I guess she had sensory overload or something. I couldn't leave her there man."

Jimmy took out his Ka-Bar and carefully cut the rope that was binding the girls hands together behind her back. He brought her arms in front of her and made her as comfortable as he could on the hard roof top. He carefully began to wipe her face with a damp rag he kept next to his spotting scope to keep his neck cool in the extreme heat on the roof. After a few moments, her eyes fluttered open and she looked into Jimmy's eye's.

Jimmy instantly heard her thoughts..."Allah! What is he going to do to me!!!!"

"Relax.... It's going to be ok...." Jimmy was trying to get her calm down. It was obvious that she was beginning to freak out.

"Move dude. I can't believe you still dont speak the language man!" Mike was a Godsend for Jimmy. He was gifted with languages and had picked up Arabic quickly his first tour in "The Sand Box".

Speaking in her native tongue, Mike quietly spoke to her.

"Everything is ok. You will not be harmed. My friend went to save you. You are safe now."

"Jimbo, please push some happy thoughts on the poor girl. She's going to stroke out if she doesn't calm down man"

Jimmy used his gift to gently push feelings of calmness and peace on the mind of the frightened young woman. With the easing of her distress and Mike's words of comfort, she started to calm a bit.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! How can I repay you?"

Translating, Mike told Jimmy "She wants to say thanks". "No thanks needed little lady. Saving people is what we do. We are US Marines. Are you hurt? Do you need to see a doctor?"

"I will be fine. Thank you for all of your kindness. Why does my rescuer not speak? Why is he staring at me?"

"Um, Jimbo, put your tongue back in your mouth. The girl is wondering why you're staring at her". "He does not speak Arabic ma'am. My name is Mike, and this is Jimmy".

"Mike.... Jimmy"

"Yes ma'am. Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor? You have some bruises on your face..."

"No... I cannot afford a doctor.... I have no family... No money.... I have nothing..." With that statement, the beautiful woman began to cry profusely.

Turning to Jimmy, Mike began with "Well hero, you saved her. She's your responsibility now. She says she has no family.... If what you said is right, about her pa' selling her, I wouldn't want to go back there either. What the hell are we going to do? Oh, and by the way, the skipper is pissed as all hell. You better get on the hook and update him on the situation".

"Fuck!" With that expletive, Jimmy turned to the radio and made contact with the commanding officer. He gave a quick update, explaining that there was no terrorist activity, but that he investigated "something hinky" and would give a full update upon returning to base. What he had to tell the Captain did not need to go out over the radio.

"Pack it up Mike. Time to get the fuck out'a Dodge"

Jimmy and Mike quickly grabbed their spotting scopes, tossed them in their protective boxes and made quick work of policing up the area to ensure that nothing was left behind. Taking his poncho out of his pack, Jimmy held it out to the beautiful creature. He helped her up and wrapped the poncho around her shoulders, covering her tattered clothes. The group quickly descended the stairs and got into a Hummer to begin the trip back to the base.

On the road, Jimmy spent most of the trip half turned around in his seat watching the scared woman in the back seat. She was obviously scared, but had stopped crying and was keeping her head held high. Looking into her thoughts, Jimmy could see that she was very frightened, but refused to show fear to the Marines. She did not want them to think her cowardly. Her fathers honor meant nothing to her now, after his selling his only child into sex slavery, but she was determined to maintain her own honor. Delving into her thoughts, he was able to learn how she came to be tied up in that warehouse.

********

Her name was Sirah. She was the only child to butcher in the slum. Her father had always wanted a son to help in the family shop, but his only wife was unable to bear him anymore children after Sirah. Her father was not a particularly nice man. He routinely beat her and her mother for the smallest of infractions. He was a follower of one of the nastier local religious sects, whose teachings stated that women were worth less than cattle. Sirah had worked hard in the home, doing everything she could to try and curry favor with her father. She learned everything she could, when she could. Unfortunately that was not often. There was no school for girls in the slum, and her father would never have "wasted" money on an education for her.

Her mother had done everything in her power to protect Sirah. She knew that her husband was an evil man. She herself had been sold to her husband for the lowly price of three goats when she was fifteen years old. She knew that her husband had no desire to keep his daughter around, and had only been able to protect Sirah by whispering in his ear that by waiting for her to mature and reach the pinnacle of beauty would he get the maximum price for her. Sirah's mother had planned on taking Sirah and running away from her husband, but she had been killed in the market several weeks before when a spat between two mullah's led to one ordering a shelling of the market to "show his power". Sirah had been with her mother, and held her in her arms while she died. Her mothers last words were "I'm sorry...... I tried to protect you....."

Sirah's father was upset that his wife was dead. He now had to start saving to buy another. Sirah was able to cook and clean for him, yet even his twisted sense of honor would not let him take her into bed to satisfy his natural desires. After a long negotiation over a hooka in the back of his shop, he had struck a deal with the young MRE thief for a very large sum. His dead wife was right. His daughters maturity, beauty and intact virginity had demanded top payment from the buyer.

********

Pulling into the base, Jimmy told Mike to take Sirah to the Corpsman and get her checked out while he went and briefed the Captain. Dreading the ass chewing he knew was coming, Mike headed right to the command hooch and cleared his weapon before going inside. The 1st Sargent was inside, waiting for him.

"Sargent, what the fuck happened out there? You were out of contact for almost fifteen minuets? And don't feed me that bullshit about you having the galloping trots. I didn't buy it from Corporal Jackson, and I ain't gonna buy it from you!"

"1st Sargent, It was a gang rape. There was this woman who was trussed up in a warehouse...."

"WHAT!!!! YOU INTERVIENED IN NON OPPERATIONAL MATTERS WITHOUT ORDERS!!!! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR GOD DAMNED MIND!!!! YOU STUPID FUCK!"

Hearing the 1st Sargent blow his top, Captain _____ came out of his office to see what was going on.

"Easy there 1st Sargent. What happened Barnes"?

"Sir, once I identified the target, I made contact and realized that they were not there for terrorist activities. The group of men outside the warehouse were gathered for an auction for..."

"An auction? What the fuck was so important about an auction that required you to intervene?"

"As I was saying sir, it was an auction for a young woman. She was a sex slave, and the auction was for the rights to take her virginity, Sir. I made the men outside the warehouse leave, and then went in to get her sir".

"You went into a warehouse, alone, without even asking for authorization? To save a girl? Are you stupid son? Do you realize how lucky you are to still be alive? Any number of things could have gone wrong! God damn son! You know better than that! Why the hell didn't you request back up?"

"Sir, I didn't think you would give me permission to go in".

"No shit you didn't think! Of course I wouldn't have let you go in alone! I would have told you to stay put until we got some more bodies out there! Jesus Christ! You couldn't have waited half an hour?"

"No sir. Upon entering the warehouse and diverting the guard, I entered the back room and found the woman being raped...."

"I thought you said she was being auctioned off for her Virginity?"

"Yes sir, The asshole was face fucking her, sir."

"Ok ok.... Please tell me that you took care of him...."

"With prejudice sir. He wont be doing any more business in the sex trade"

"Ok Barnes. Go get cleaned up. Where is the woman now?"

"She is in the medical hooch sir, getting checked out by a ....."

"You brought her here! Why the fuck would you do that!"

"Her family sold her to the slaver sir. She had no where to go. She had been physically abused sir. She needed to be checked out."

"Jesus. These savages will never stop amazing me.... her own family sold her?"

"Yes sir. Her father in fact. I did a little digging into her head on the ride back, and she has dealt with a lot of shit. She didn't deserve to be tossed aside".

"Ok.... 1st Sargent, please go check on the young woman. Make her comfortable in the guest hooch and see if we can scrounge up some clothes for her.... get her something to eat and then call Division and see if they have some sort of networking thing for things like this. Fuck.... This is a god damned cluster fuck."