I watched Chayton park his SUV in the long term area of Edwards Air Force Base. It wasn't a given we would fly back here but at least we could retrieve it easily. Spunky was on a call as we approached, and I was glad I put her in charge of this trip. She was a natural leader, and I knew she would cover all the bases.

Walking up the open back ramp of the massive jet, I was glad I thought to pack a thin pillow to sit on. The marks from the webbed seat weren't a fond memory.

Spunky plopped down into her seat after checking our luggage and other equipment. We ended up on the military flight to the Middle East and then a commercial flight from there to Kenya. Jane was now in contact with the team planning Special Ops itineraries. Somehow between Spunky and Mooch's association with us, they considered us as part of their responsibility as well.

"We've got new equipment courtesy of our partners in Special Ops."

"Can you give us the run down, please," I asked. This time around we weren't going in as a married couple, but rather as a group of experienced adventure tourists.

"Have you heard of TAK?" Spunky asked.

Chayton nodded. "Their civilian network is amazing for hikers, backcountry cyclers, ATV enthusiasts, or anyone else who wants to get away from the crush of city life for any length of time."

"We've got our hands on the military version," Spunky said. She pulled three cell phones out of the crate beside her and handed one to me. Chayton took one and she kept the other.

"I'm going to give you crash course on how to use these. The system is designed to work on Android phones, particularly well on the high end Samsung Ultras."

I fumbled my way around the buttons on the side of mine and waited for it to boot up. Spunky walked me through the various apps, and Chayton sat beside me helping me to get the hang of how to read the maps and the various icons which popped up on it. Once I understood the way it worked, and we tried it with our headsets on, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

"This is amazing!" It was nice to know we were part of a communications hub which had our backs. No way we were going to be beyond help this time around.

"Thank you for going the extra mile and making sure we got this," Chayton said.

"I have another set for my sister, once we find her," Spunk said as we packed the equipment away.

I nodded and asked, "Did you get the report on O'Malley?"

She nodded. "I think we'll be able to track him down. New surveillance confirms it was my sister who went aboard the Blue Belle. It appears O'Malley has an issue inside his organization. The Bermuda Dolphin Hospital and Rehabilitation Center is a world class institution. I do not want to impede its operation."

"Meixing's report also traces back more of the O'Malley family. He's an identical twin. An adopted single half of a set. He never knew about his brother until they were in their early thirties. It complicates matters. Burton had the upbringing of pampered nobility, but his brother didn't." Chayton was scanning his I-pad as he spoke.

"The problem is, we don't know which one of them is running what. It seems the two of them have bonded, but one of them isn't playing by the rules," Spunky said.

"The only way to figure out who is doing the dirty, is going to be a sting of some sort. The greedy one is going to go for it," I proposed.

Spunky nodded. "The trouble is, I think whoever it is, has impersonated the other more than once. Bank records show movement of funds from various illegal operations, including Domestic Aide Agencies. Which one of us is going to bring the sting to them?"

"I will." I said. "It's going to be hard to get them."

"What we have to consider as well, is the possibility they are both in on this. Just one of them has a better head for the illegal end of the operation. I would play it like they are in on it together," Spunky said. "That way we are on our toes, expecting trouble at all times."

"But essentially divide and conquer," I put in. "Turn them against each other. We'll have to observe before we decide how to do it. Which is why we have tickets to their annual charity ball in Kenya in just under a week."

"Do I have to go?" Spunky didn't sound happy about it.

"Yes, but not as a guest. As part of the catering staff. Lord O'Malley has a residence in Nairobi. Whoever is over there scouting has it arranged from what Edith said. How are your computer skills, Spunky?"

"I can hold my own. Not anywhere near the skills Meixing has, but she's taught me a few things prepping for this. She's been running a nifty little program for a couple weeks now. I have the way into their system." Spunky tapped her temple indicating she memorized them.

"Which goes to show me that if you have a determined hacker with time and persistence on their side, nothing is really safe in the world of computers," I said.

"Something I'm very glad of," Chayton added. "The time Edison found for Meixing on their mainframe is extremely handy."

"It's a cat and mouse game, according to her. A hole which existed yesterday is patched the next. Things are a constantly moving target in the technical world of computers," Spunky said, "But in this case, I doubt our targets know about us and our backdoor into their system."

The huge transport plane chose that moment to hit a pocket of turbulence and our pilot's voice came over the intercom.

"This is just the start of it. We've got a major stretch of clear air turbulence to get through for the next hour or so. Keep your seatbelts snug back there. We were hoping it would settle before we got here, like I said in briefing, but no such luck."

I shook my head as I compared this to the announcements on commercial flights. Totally different way of flying, but I thought this was better in so many ways. Our cargo wasn't an issue, and I thought about customs getting into Kenya and the radio system we were carrying.

"How are we going to disguise the Android cellphones and the programs on it?" I asked.

"Why?"

"Customs in Kenya." I reminded Spunky.

"Nearly forgot. Meixing has it covered."

In the next few minutes, she walked us through hiding the apps and files for the Android Team Awareness Kit. What a mouthful. I love acronyms when they save time like this. We added one download. civTAK. The civilian version of the military app we had hidden away.

"Wouldn't this be enough for us?" I asked.

"If we were just staying on a safari tour or maybe one of the more touristy hiking or mountain climbing destinations, it would. In fact, it should be part of every outdoor activity. Even for sailors, it's a back up to the systems they already have in place," Spunky said.

"Is Mooch our contact in Kenya?" I asked. Wedding plans and the coming visit from the Adakai clan, drifted into my brain as I inquired, and I wondered how I was supposed to maintain my concentration. They were bringing their horses as a last minute alteration to their plans. With the addition of all the acres of grazing land to our ranch holdings, there were some pretty spectacular spots to visit.

Aponi was interested in the goats we were raising as well. We were considering putting a bigger umbrella over the three operations to give us more advantages as far as shipping, marketing, and taxes went.

Ella was already extremely excited about her new cousins. When I introduced her to Tallulah, their connection was instantaneous.

"Alyana, what do you think?" Chayton touched my arm as he spoke, and I jerked back into the conversation.

"Sorry, you two will have to be on top of me. I keep drifting away into wedding plans and the Memorial Day gathering at Malia's ranch."

Spunky shook her head. "You're no better than Sparky was before his. What is it with marriage and weddings?"

"Wait till you fall for someone," I teased. "It's a wonderful complication."

She blushed a becoming rose, before she poked back at me, "Come on boss, you're better than that. I know how good you are."

"I'll be on my game once we get into the field. The drone from the engines in here puts me into a very meditative state. So, is it Mooch in Kenya?"

"No, it'll be Snake. He's from Kenya and understands the customs and laws there well. He'll be with us until we find Athena."

I had to smile at her sister's name. The wise Goddess with her owl. "What's her middle name?" I had to know.

"Athena Thalia. I think she got the better deal as far as the name goes." Her smile was wide as she spoke. "She never did have a nickname. Dad gave me mine before I went to school, and it stuck right through to become my call sign in Special Ops."

"Tell us more about her. Will she be able to keep up with us or will we need immediate extraction when we catch up with her?" Chayton had a good question.

"First we need to make sure there isn't something more going on between her and one of the O'Malley twins. Athena might be onto something. She never was one not to question and learn, and she was always the one to bring happiness with her wherever she went. Mom nailed her name."

"I never took that possibility into account," I said.

"How sure are you about that?" Chayton put in.

"She was in school working on a journalism degree. Broke a scandal on a cheating ring there in her second year on the University student paper. And she's quick to put things together."

"Okay, then what about her ability to take care of herself in a bad situation?"

"When push comes to shove, she's as good as me. Dad had us in Jujitsu with our brothers at the same time as we got into kindergarten. She's only a year younger than me."

"With what you've told us, I wonder if she got herself kidnapped on purpose." I said. "I've seen journalists on the trail of a story do some pretty dumb things."

"Me too," Spunk said. "I did it, so why would I think otherwise of my sister? I just didn't want to consider the possibility. Easier to blame someone else for it."

We fell into silence with the occasional yelp as we continued to hit pockets of turbulence. When one of the pilots came back, he told us we were free to move again. I headed for the bathroom facilities and came back to find Spunky asleep with her head pillowed by her cross chest bag.

Chayton was rolling a blanket to make a neck support for us, and we followed her lead. We still had hours to go, and it would be early morning when we landed. Might as well get some sleep.