by Don Koch
“I think it is a great idea. Do we have a layout of the area?”
“Ok, let me see what the team thinks.” An hour later the whole group was gathered for a skull session. Andy laid out the proposal and Aston displayed the layout. “Here is the thing, this location is a major pipeline for drugs and terrorists entering the US. We do not want to alert the Mexican authorities too far in advance since that is an invitation for a leak. We can utilize the Mexican military but we do not want them sending troops into an area too early since that might tip our hand. We need to do some planning on this. I think the first thing we need to do is to have a chat with this General Josephus Gomez to see if he will be cooperative and to see if we can garner some cooperation or intelligence from him. We also do not want to create a vacuum for another criminal organization to jump into so we can't just stop at one organization. If we do this well, there is the potential to have a dramatic impact on the quality of life for a lot of people in that area. The idea here is to train our capabilities but I like the idea of doing it in a way that helps other people. Our goal at this time would be to neutralize the selected organization, all of it. What do you all think?"
Jim said, “Let me throw a few thoughts. We are trying to assure that all of these capabilities we have are fully developed. Stretching ourselves is a good thing as long as we do not endanger others in our field of activity." All agreed and Jim went on, "I like this thing we are considering with Mexico and actually it might be kind of fun. One of the things about these thugs is they never seem to get the message. Crime there is so overwhelmingly prevalent that nobody knows where to start to clean it up. What if we were to teleport these guys one by one to a location where the national government, in particular, the military had them rather than the state? If we dropped them off with some identification of who they are, we may be more effective in getting them out of circulation. Just go in invisible and remove them to another location. My suggestion would be to the Islas Marias Federal Prison in the Islas Marias archipelago off the Pacific Coast. Just put them in the prison yard, in their skivvies, bound with Mexican restraints and their ID's hanging around their necks. Do it in the middle of the night so they are not so apt to see their people disappearing. After all the people are gone we can go in and clean the place out. Drop all the weapons where the Mexican military would like to have them. Same for all the explosives, ammunition and equipment. We can sequester any cash found to fund assistance for the victims of their actions. It can also fund relocation efforts. That can be done through an offshore bank. We don’t use any of that money for ourselves but only for people that have been injured by the various groups we disband. If the amounts are too large, we can redistribute that to charities and churches in Mexico that have active aid efforts under way.”
Ed opined, "There is a kind of poetic justice to that kind of redistribution. I kind of like it."
Andy asked, "What is the downside?"
Jim responded, "The money, of course. It represents a temptation and a distraction that we have to consider and resolve. But we can resolve that by giving control of those funds we recover to Aston. If he sees something as more self serving than not, we don't do it. We are not going to have any difficulty with personal funds. I could leave here this minute and come back in 20 minutes with enough gold and valuables to live like a king just from sunken ships that no one has been able to reach. I do not intend to do that because I do not have the need. None of us has suffered from greed, quite the contrary. I am concerned about the funds that the drug lords and terrorist organizations hold because of what they do with them. I would love to see that removed from the equation. It is largely the basis of their influence."
Aston added,
Andy said, "I like this whole idea of removing those resources and that base, but perhaps we are thinking too small. Last I read, there are at least five or six and probably more cartels moving drugs and terrorists across the border. These are not so much cartels as they are major crime operations. The conflicts and violence they cause is likely why so many want to migrate north, illegally. What if we were to take off the heads of these cartels in a relatively short period of time and deliver them to that prison after alerting the military that it was happening? That might just kick start some necessary reforms. I do like the idea of retaining a portion of the cash recovered to fund the works we have been discussing. If we decimate the cartels, particularly the leadership,, the military should then be able to put a lid on the violence. We do need a discussion with General Gomez to see how he feels about an intrusion/collaboration from us. He might also give us some guidance on where to hit, and how to contain activities."
There was excitement about the idea from the entire group. Aston noted that the General was at home alone having lunch. That if the team spoke to him mentally, he would hear in Spanish and be understood. Andy said, "I would like you all to listen in. The Chief, Pat, Maria and I will go there physically. We will wear those uniforms that Aston suggested, and be in semi-visible form with our faces obscured. We should change in the ship." Aston noted that they would appear in the uniforms merely by willing it. Physical change would not be necessary. The uniforms were black from head to toe with a flared star on the chest. Pat noted that the uniforms were striking. After they changed they teleported to the General's kitchen in full invisible so as not to startle him. Andy spoke to the General,
"Si."
The four appeared in semi visible mode with faces obscured.
Andy chuckled and said,
The General laughed in turn and said,
Andy responded,
The General laughed and then said,
Jim replied,
Andy continued,
Jim, Andy and Pat returned to the ship where everyone else was waiting. Jim started the discussion, "Well that was not entirely expected. General Gomez appears to be solidly in our camp. He has already started the preparations. We need to have an idea of how many people we have to move, so we can do a rough estimate of timing and appropriate planning."
They went over the plan a few more times and determined what each persons role would be. All felt that they were ready.
Pat posed a question, "Aston, do you have the ability to tag the people we have been arresting so that we can find them again if they elect to continue their errant ways?"