#the cia has been shown multiple times to just be doing whatever

[embarressment-erradicated]

"why are you focused on america so much?"

first I live there, second

our government keeps doing this shit. there's so much, why is there hardly anyone talking about this THEY HAVE ACCESS TO BILLIONS OF SIM CARDS, NOT MLLIONS 'B' BILLIONS.

also we keep making stupid and mostly useless government agencies.

[hopelikethemoon]

Past Connections (Javier x Reader) {MTMF}

Title: Past Connections Rating: PG-13 Length: 2100 Warnings: Mild Angst  Notes: You can find everything about Maybe Today, Maybe Forever here. Set in March 1998. Summary: The second article hits the newstands. 

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PAST CONNECTIONS SPEAK OUT IN DEA SCANDAL 

Following the bombshell report The Post released in the March 2nd issue, the DEA came forward with allegedly incriminating documentation purporting a pattern of unsanctioned expenditures, where Javier Peña had filed expense forms on evenings spent with Colombian hookers. 

During our investigative reporting, The Post was able to connect with three of the women who had been paid by Peña, using DEA funds, during his time with the DEA in Colombia. 

Elena Ramierz, who was willing to go on record using her own name, was forthcoming with information concerning her time with Peña. 

“I would not be where I am today, had I not crossed paths with Javi. He was willing to sponsor my immigration request — without asking for anything in return. Javier Peña is one of the only men I worked with who was a genuinely good man. He cared about all of the girls at the brothels and would look out for us. I cannot, however, say the same about other men who abused the systems the DEA willingly put into place.”

When pressed further, Ramirez went into detail painting a picture of the systemic abuses that were encouraged by the DEA, including but not limited to brutalizing sex workers, non-consensual contact, and intentional situations that led to physical and mental harm. These claims were largely substantiated by the other two women who were willing to speak with The Post. 

“He hated what he had to do to get information for the DEA. You could see the weight on his shoulders. Despite the brutal situation he was in, he was always kind and gentle with me and the other girls. Whatever picture the DEA is trying to paint him out to be, it’s to hide their own misdeeds.”

At the request of the DEA, The Post also made contact with Lorraine Jackson (neé Davis) who was the former ex-fiancé of Peña. Jackson, who hails from Laredo, Texas, provided details about the nature of her relationship with Peña nearly thirty years ago. Despite the DEA’s insistence that Jackson’s testimony would be detrimental to Peña and Morley’s case against DEA, her statement was to the contrary. 

“Look,” Mrs. Jackson stated, “Javier left me at the altar when we were kids. I was angry for a long time. A long time. Even after I got married and started a family with a truly wonderful man. I was still wounded by what Javier did, but it all worked out for the best. I can’t even imagine what life would’ve been like if he’d shown up. Have you met his daughters? They adore him. He’s a good man, despite what happened between us.”

Mrs. Jackson continued, “When the DEA approached me about our relationship, I let my hurt feelings get the best of me. He made a lot of mistakes when he was younger — but didn’t we all? He left, went to college and came back to work for the Sheriff’s Office. He’d closed himself off and frankly, he was an ass. I don’t pretend to know what happened in Colombia, I wasn’t part of his life then, but I could see he had changed when he came home. The DEA wants to paint him out to be a villain in all of this and that’s just not the case.”

The DEA issued a revelatory statement, rebuffing the claims previously printed in The Post. 

There is no doubt that Ms. Morley contributed admirable efforts in the war against Pablo Escobar. As the American people have now seen, her records contain multiple instances where she assisted in the apprehension of multiple associates of Escobar’s. 

Despite her efforts, during her tenure with the DEA in Colombia and Ms. Morley failed to uphold the standards expected of a DEA field agent. One year after her transfer, she entered into a relationship with a CIA liaison who was an active member of a joint task force formed by the two agencies. It became clearly, early on, that she was not capable of maintaining a professional work environment. 

In 1992, when Ms. Morley revealed that she was pregnant, she was immediately placed on desk duty. During a meeting with her direct chain of command, Ms. Morley intentionally concealed the identity of her child’s father. When questioned about Mr. Peña, she blatantly denied that she had any sexual contact with her partner. The following year, when Ms. Morley and Mr. Peña provided the DEA with the truth, we were forced to terminate her employment for her misconduct. 

While The Post may attempt to twist this situation into a gender-based discrimination case, it is abundantly clear that both Ms. Morley and Mr. Peña engaged in unethical practices unbefitting of federal agents. 

The Post reached out to CIA Agent, Lance Collier, who Ms. Morley was in a relationship from June 1988 to June 1989, clarified that their relationship had been approved by his director prior to its beginning. 

Collier was willing to go on record with a statement of his own, “Annie was one of the hardest working agents I’ve ever worked with. During meetings, I repeatedly witnessed her being ignored and silenced by her superiors. They would ultimately use her knowledge under the guise of their own, intentionally undermining her abilities. On numerous occasions, I was also present for meetings where Javier Peña and Steve Murphy would go to bat for their partner. Annie was well aware of the risk and complications related to being a woman in a male dominated field, and despite that she persisted. I have seen men who acted as bad agents against our government still be venerated, so why are they still punishing her for becoming a mother?”

The Post is dedicated to the continued investigation of this scandal. 

 ————

 “You’re brooding.” You told Javier as you shut off the stove and grabbed a trivet to sit the pot of wild rice off the burner. 

Javier huffed, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the kitchen counter across from you. “I’m not brooding.” He rubbed at the back of his neck before he pushed away from the counter and moved to grab two plates out of the cabinet. “The timing was just less than ideal.” 

“I know.” You grabbed an oven mitt and pulled out the pan of chicken patties, sitting it on the stovetop. “I wish Vickers had told us how thorough Valerie was going to be in her statement to the paper.” 

“It was fucking mortifying, baby. I don’t know how I’m gonna make it through exams next week. Think it’s too late to make it a paper?” He questioned, grabbing the buns and mayonnaise out of the fridge. 

“Unfortunately,” You made a face as you shut off the oven and moved to grab a paper plate to cut the tomato on. “It’ll blow over.” 

“Not nearly soon enough,” He shook his head. “You know how much I hate looking back on that shit and now everyone knows my business.” 

“It was a risk we were both willing to take,” You reminded him. “Say the word and we pull the plug.” 

“I’m not pulling the fucking plug, baby. I’m just saying — did my class really need to know about my exploits with hookers in Colombia? I get that it’s tantalizing, but she pushed it too far.” 

“Even Elena didn’t realize how far it would go,” You sat the knife down and wiped off your hands on a dishtowel, turning to approach him. “I’m sure the DEA thought they could put a wedge between us — like I didn't know what you got up to.” 

“You talked to Elena today?”

You nodded, “I called to thank her. Her word would’ve been enough I think, but having two ‘Jane Smiths’ reaffirm what she was saying? There’s so much bullshit going on, in the pursuit of stopping drugs that has to end. We both know how they abuse those women.” You reached up and brushed your fingers over his cheek, leaning up on your toes to kiss him. 

He snaked his arm around your waist, pulling you towards him. “Think they’ll try to track down Matias next?” 

You let out an incredulous laugh at that, “God, I don’t even know what happened to him.” You admitted, “I doubt they’d be able to track him down.” He had been a sweet young man you’d spent a handful of evenings with in the pursuit of intel nearly a decade ago. “It’s not like you don’t know.” 

Javier dragged his teeth over his bottom lip and nodded slowly, “It’s just fucking bullshit. Even if it exonerated us.” He sighed heavily, “I should’ve cancelled class. Standing up there trying to keep on topic — knowing they’ve just read an article with three women who I’ve fucked.”

“Technically five.” You pointed, clarifying when he arched a brow.  “Elena, Valerie, and Mia, Lorraine, and myself.” 

He made a face, feigning disgust before he released you. “I hadn’t realized the DEA would be so determined to punch below the belt.”

“Because bribing Monica to say you’d fucked her was above the belt?” You pointed out as you moved to grab two buns out of the bag, throwing them on the plates and using a spatula to pick up the chicken patties and place them on each bun. 

“Alright, alright. You’re making valid points.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “One day the girls are going to see these articles.” 

“Then we’ll explain to them that sex workers deserve more praise and credit than they’re currently afforded.” You stated simply, “And that there’s nothing wrong about being sexually active — like we were, before we got together.” You shrugged. 

“You wanna have that conversation with them?”

You shrugged, licking your thumb clean after you got mayonnaise on it, “Sure. It doesn’t bother me.” 

Javier pinched at the bridge of his nose for a moment before he started plating up his chicken sandwich, “You got cheese?”

“Hang on,” You headed for the fridge, pulling the door open and rummaging around in the deli drawer. “Swiss or cheddar?”

“Do we have any of the pepperjack left?”

You hummed as you pulled open a drawer below, grabbing the bag of pepperjack cheese. “You’re in luck. I hid it the last time Nadia was here.” You tossed it onto the counter beside him, “That girl loves cheese.” 

“Monica wasn’t in class today,” Javier stated, throwing two pieces of cheese onto his chicken patty before topping it off with the bun, “Did you hear from her today? I meant to call but got pulled into meetings.” 

“I called her this morning at work,” You told him as you stowed the mayo back in the fridge. “She’s still pretty skittish after everything that happened.” You explained, smiling when you returned to your plate and Javier had scooped up a spoonful of wild rice for you. “Thanks, babe.” 

He pressed a kiss to your cheek, “Anytime.” Javier gave your ass a playful swat before he headed for the kitchen table. “She’s got office hours with me tomorrow.” 

“I wouldn’t make a big deal about it,” You cautioned him as you sat down across from him at the table. “Honestly, she seemed fine. She just wanted to skip today.” You took a bite of your sandwich, before washing it down with a swig of beer. “I can’t wait for all of this to be over with.” 

“You and me both, baby.” Javier retorted, covering his mouth with his fist as he spoke with his mouth full. “I want them to fucking pay for their bullshit and let us get on with our lives.” 

You nodded your head slowly, “Everyone at the P.D. has been so supportive. They’re far from perfect, but they at least recognize what the DEA’s been doing is morally and ethically wrong.” 

Javier rocked his jaw slowly as he stared at you across the table, “You still thinking about quitting?”

“All the time,” You admitted with a shrug. “I just want to get through this first. The DEA’s been such a dark shadow for so many years.” 

“Once this is over, I feel like we’ll be able to really live.” 

“Right?” You agreed with a grin, “Connie thinks we should go on vacation.” 

“As soon as this semester’s over.” 

You leaned across the table and took his hand into yours, giving it three short squeezes. “There’s a part of me that is stupidly excited about my name finally being attached to yours in the record books. And Steve’s, of course. It’s bizarre to see our lives laid out in the newspaper, but at the same time — I love it.” 

“Me too, baby.” Javier grinned at you, “It means no more hiding.” 

[wftc141]

Blackwatch Chapter 7: Tainted Justice

04:50 AM, Local Time

Jakarta, Indonesia

August, 2018

Everything around him felt warm, his body embracing the hot smoke trapped inside with him. The darkness around him began to light up as his eyes slowly opened and found himself upside-down. Constable Fauzi Wijaya was surprised that he was still alive even after getting their patrol vehicle t-boned by a truck that caught them from the side after leaving from a secret meeting, pushing them off the dirt road. He doesn't know where they landed but he could feel the humid dirt's odour wafting towards him.

Looking around, Wijaya felt something warm streaming down his face and saw red slipping off his face. His legs were trapped below and the seatbelt was stuck. Wijaya then spat out blood and coughed, almost choking himself on it.

He glanced at his side where his partner Nonk was, only to find him with blood streaming down his face, eyes bloodshot red and body riddled with broken glass. He was in an unlucky spot. Wijaya knew he would be joining Nonk if he doesn't get out now. Reaching for the seatbelt with his aching arms, Wijaya tried to break the seatbelt off. The burning sensation of his fingers flowed as he tried to pull the seat belt off. Suddenly, the seat belt lock ripped off and Wijaya fell onto the surface, landing on the miniature glass shards. His sleeves ripped into the glass as Wijaya gritted his teeth to endure the pain.

Finally crawling himself out of the broken window, Wijaya gripped onto the ground tightly as he crawled over the puddle mixed with dirt and waste. Half of his vision was blocked out by the blood from his head. Wijaya did his best to ignore the unending pain as he crawled through the wreckage and the hidden glass among the ground while facing the darkness. His legs felt like paper. He couldn't move an inch of his foot. As Wijaya looked up slowly to at least see the moon, he froze.

In front of Wijaya and above the road, a figure walked down the ditch with the headlights of the truck illuminating behind him. Then Wijaya noticed a gun lying on the ground near him and desperately tried to reach for it, ignoring the steps closing in. His strained grunts echoed the eerie silence as the steps got louder. Heart pounding with the mindset of a tortured victim. Just as he reached it, Wijaya noticed black boots in front of him before a gloved hand reached down to yank the revolver off him. Looking up, Wijaya got a clearer look of the figure. Black mask and cap. It was the assailant, preparing to tie up loose ends. And there was no doubt it was the Four Arms' doing.

"Anda bajingan! (You bastards!)" Wijaya cursed as the assailant checked the gun. "Saya tahu kami seharusnya tidak mempercayai anda anjing jalanan sejak awal! (I knew we shouldn't have trusted you street dogs in the first place!)"

Suddenly, blood coughed out of his mouth as Wijaya helplessly tried to pull himself up with his bleeding arms. The masked assailant finished checking the revolver and looked back at Wijaya, eyes filled with little awareness of what he said.

「大丈夫。彼らは遅かれ早かれあなたに加わるでしょう。」

Wijaya stared at the masked assailant in silence. He wasn't speaking Indonesian.

"Jepang? (Japanese?)" He muttered.

Just as Wijaya said his words, the masked assailant aimed the gun in front of his eyes and everything went black to the loud crack of the gun.

24 Hours Earlier

Central Jakarta, Indonesia

Embassy of the United States

July, 2018

The elevator made its stop at the eighth floor of the Embassy. After the doors opened, Genji followed Lacroix and McCree out and down the hallway. They were all called in for a new operation a month later after their operation in Russia eliminating the remaining ISIS group. There, Genji had some time to train himself and chat with Angela and check up on her progress in practicing self-defence with her friend Fareeha from Helix Securities.

Genji alongside McCree and Lacroix were the only few people picked by their team leader for this mission for whatever reason. Once they reached the meeting room where their team leader was waiting, the group entered the room where they saw Gabriel standing by a board with some photos and files pinned onto it as well as a projector. Gabriel turned around and noticed the group.

"Welcome to Jakarta, team," he greeted. "Glad you guys could make it."

"I'm guessing this is something big since we're here." McCree said as the team sat at the large, round table.

"It is. As you could see on the board, these guys are the reason why Blackwatch has been summoned."

Gabriel then took out a pile of dossiers from a box and handed each of the team one. Once Genji received the dossier, he opened it up to see its contents and found some documents with photos of what appears to be police officers and their names and ranks beside it. Beside were some personal information and some notes on them. Genji noticed a staple on the top left corner.

"So we're just going after a bunch of dirty cops, huh?" McCree questioned. "Not that I have a problem with taking these scumbags down."

"Not just them. These people are under the pockets of a notorious street gang of Jakarta known as the Four Arms, led by Eyo Naki."

Genji flipped the document over and found the second document showing an old photo of a man in a military uniform with medals over his jacket standing behind the Indonesian flag. One of his eyes was pure white with a vertical scar slashed over the white eye. He looked up and saw the man's photo again on the projector with more info beside it.

"Former General in the Indonesian army in the 90s, he was arrested and scheduled to be executed after an investigation reported countless war crimes committed during his twenty years of service and reports of multiple deaths of his own soldiers who opposed his actions. However, the convoy escorting Naki the next day was ambushed and killed by those loyal to him. After that, he disappeared into thin air, never to be found. That's how he ended up as the most wanted man of Asia."

Gabriel then changed to a new slide showing a symbol of the Four Arms with some disturbing photos from the past. Most were either dead bodies, drugs or photos of gangsters posing.

"At some point, he started the Four Arms with what was left of his loyal army and began to rise to the ranks as one of the most deadliest organisations of Jakarta for the next ten years. Naki is an iron-fisted leader with no remorse for his past and present and he doesn't like to share. The Four Arms' criminal activities have left at least thousands of innocent people and criminals alike dead."

Another slide with more shocking context was shown but this time the pictures showed destroyed buildings with some news articles.

"Last week, several complexes across Jakarta were bombed, taking the lives of hundreds of innocent people but the police discontinued their investigation. Intel suggests that the complexes belonged to a rival gang and Naki and his gang bombed the buildings as a message."

Gabriel then picked up a cup from the table and drank from it.

"The police have arrested members of the Four Arms before but most of the time, they were released shortly due to 'lack of evidence' and often resulted in widespread protests from the public. This went on for the entirety during the Four Arms' rise."

McCree scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Lack of evidence, my ass."

Genji stared at the document showing the corrupt cops as Gabriel continued the brief. He showed nothing but disgust and contempt. These people must be shameless to be involved in these atrocities.

"That was until an insider provided intel that the Four Arms had Police Chief Yulis Katuuk and some of his units including the narcotics and patrol paid off to turn a blind eye on their operations as well as their willingness to assist in covering their crimes."

Genji looked up where the slide showed a photo of the police chief in uniform, standing by the flag with four stars. There were medals over his jacket just like the one with Naki. Medals for someone with little regard of justice.

"Sounds like this bastard's got some tricks on his sleeves to be able to get someone like the chief on their good side." McCree commented.

"I take it this is a kill order?" Lacroix guessed.

"That's right," Gabriel answered. "The government has had enough of their shit and wants them dead so they reached out to NATO for their help in dealing with this issue."

"So the Indonesian government's alright with taking out their own guys? Cos' I thought NATO and them have some issues of their own." McCree questioned.

"The government has put aside their differences and approved our operation on behalf of NATO. Other than that, we're on our own for this."

"Do we have a place to stay?" Lacroix asked.

"The CIA has already lent us a hideout for this mission since we're also here to sabotage their operations. Weapons and gear have been taken care of as well. Might as well head out right now and get prepping. Dismissed."

The team began to get up from their chairs and made their way out of the room. Genji closed the dossier and stood up in silence.

"Genji," Gabriel called, grabbing his attention. "A word?"

Genji stayed while Lacroix and McCree left the room. Genji approached Gabriel to see what he had to say.

"Don't think I'm sitting you out of this because I'm not," Gabriel said. "I think you're capable of handling this. You've done this dirty cop business before, wouldn't hurt to do it again."

"I'm fine, sir." Genji replied quickly.

Gabriel stared at him for a moment before nodding. He would assume he just wants to finish this operation and get this over with.

"Alright...just checking."

Genji left the room once Gabriel let him leave. As he made his way down the hallway, Genji felt the pictures of the chief and the corrupt cops flash before him. He remembered every detail and every difference in each one of those people. Of all people he hates the most, corrupt cops make it to the first place. The only reason these false protectors let the gangs run amok and allow innocent people to die is for some white powder and dirty money. Genji saw it with his own eyes in the Shimada Clan. These people exploit the system of justice for their own purposes and appease the scum of this land. They were destined to face the well-deserved justice and Genji was bound to make sure the corrupt cops here would learn their lesson like every corrupt cop he killed.

Present

5:43 AM, Local Time

August, 2018

After torching the truck used for the attack, Genji returned to their hideout near the canalised river which was an abandoned apartment used for Blackwatch's operations. Parking the motorbike near the gate, Genji entered the building and met up with Gabriel and McCree where they set up a makeshift operation board. The board was filled with photos and files on Katuuk and the Four Arms.

"How'd it go?" Gabriel asked.

"Fauzi Wijaya and Hanif Nonk have been eliminated." Genji answered.

"Good. Mark those two off the list."

"Now all that's left is the narcotics unit, Katuuk and the Four Arms," McCree said. "Hopefully this will convince the dirty cops that the Four Arms is turning on them which is gonna make things easier for us."

"I believe Widowmaker is still out handling the other narcotics officers, yes?" Genji asked.

"She is," Gabriel answered. "She won't be back until a few more hours."

10:00 AM, Local Time

Getting inside his car in the parking garage, Police Chief Yulis Katuuk finished his cigarette and took out his cellphone from the cup holder. He speeddialed Naki's number and held the phone up to his ear, waiting for him to answer. His fingers tapped on the edge of the seat impatiently. Finally, the beeps stopped.

"Saya sedang melakukan sesuatu yang penting, jadi lakukanlah dengan cepat. (I'm in the middle of something important so make it quick.)" Naki's voice hissed.

"Begitu penting bahwa Anda belum menonton berita atau repot-repot menjawab telepon saya? (So important that you haven't been watching the news or bothered to answer my fucking calls?)"

Naki scoffed. "

Apa itu? Seseorang meninggal? (What is it? Someone died?)"

"Ya, kamu tua bangka! (Yes, you old fart!)" Katuuk replied. "

Unit narkotika saya mati seperti bagaimana petugas patroli saya menghilang- (My narcotics unit is dead just like how my patrolmen disappeared-)"

"Dan mengapa aku harus peduli tentang antek-antekmu yang hilang? (And why should I give a shit about your missing lackeys?)"

"Karena mereka bersama kru narkoba Anda ketika semuanya dihancurkan! (Because they were with your drug crew when everything was destroyed!)"

Silence returned from the other end. Katuuk realized he wasn't supposed to blurt out the drug part.

"Apa maksudmu semuanya hancur? Apa yang terjadi dengan kru saya? (What do you mean everything was destroyed? What happened to my crew?)" Naki said in a tone that could frighten even the new General of the army.

"Gudang untuk produksi obat dihancurkan tadi malam, (The warehouses for the drug production got destroyed last night,)" Katuuk explained. "Kristal, ganja, semuanya habis terbakar. Sebagian besar orang saya di narkotika dan kru Anda terbunuh seluruhnya. Saya melakukan yang terbaik untuk memastikan penyelidikan tidak akan berjalan- (Crystal, cannabis, they were all taken by the fire. Most of my men in the narcotics and your crew were killed altogether. I did my best to make sure the investigation wouldn't go-)"

"Apakah Anda tahu siapa yang melakukannya? Apakah itu saingan yang bisnisnya saya bom? (Do you know who did it? Was it that rival whose businesses I bombed?)"

"Tidak, saya tidak percaya ini adalah pembalasan. Mereka tidak akan melakukan ini bahkan jika mereka mencobanya. Ini terasa seperti pekerjaan profesional. (No, I don't believe this is retaliation. They wouldn't pull this off even if they tried. This feels like a professional job.)"

"Lalu apa maksudmu, Katuuk? (Then what are you implying, Katuuk?)"

"Seseorang memperhatikan kita. Mereka pasti sudah tahu bahwa saya terlibat dalam bisnis Anda dan mereka mencoba menyingkirkan kita berdua. Dan saya rasa saya tahu siapa yang mengejar kita. (Somebody is onto us. They must've figured out that I'm involved in your business and they're trying to get rid of both of us. And I think I know who's after us.)"

"Betulkah? Katakan padaku. (Really? Tell me.)"

"Saya memiliki orang dalam di Kedutaan Besar AS dan kemarin, dia melaporkan bahwa unit khusus dari barat disewa oleh pemerintah untuk misi pembunuhan. Hanya itu yang dia dapat dari itu. (I have an insider in the US Embassy and yesterday, he reported that a special unit from the west was hired by the government for an assassination mission. That was all he got from that.)"

"Dan? (And?)"

Katuuk was certain Naki won't like his answer but the truth can stop them from stuffing Katuuk into an oil-filled barrel and setting him alight.

"Dari apa yang dia kumpulkan, tebakan terbaik saya adalah bahwa kita adalah target mereka. (From what he's gathered, my best guess is that we're their targets.)"

Silence. The incoming outburst was inevitable.

"Apakah Anda memberi tahu saya bahwa pemerintah saya menyewa sekelompok tentara barat untuk membunuh kami? Untuk membunuh saya dan menghancurkan apa yang telah saya bangun?! (Are you telling me that my government hired a group of western soldiers to kill us? To kill me and destroy what I've built?!)"

Katuuk let out a sigh and braced for impact.

"Iya. (Yes.)" he grimly said.

"Mereka bodoh, dengar aku ?! Bodoh! Saya tidak akan tahan untuk ini! Saya tidak membangun sebuah kerajaan hanya untuk membiarkan beberapa orang asing mengakhiri pekerjaan saya karena apa, pemerintah saya tidak setuju dengan metode saya! Aku akan menjadi Tuhan negara ini bahkan jika aku harus membuat setiap sistem tidak stabil! (They're fools, you hear me?! Fools! I won't stand for this! I did not build an empire just to let some outsider fucks end my life's work because what, my government disagreed with my methods! I will be this country's God even if I must have every system destabilized!)"

The voices were so loud Katuuk thought Naki's other end was breaking up. Shortly, Katuuk heard Naki exhale to calm himself.

"Saya ingin Anda segera menangani masalah ini, (I want you to deal with this issue immediately,)" Naki calmly ordered. "Kirim anak buahmu keluar untuk melacak orang luar itu dan bunuh mereka. Lakukan perburuan, bingkai, apa pun yang dapat Anda lakukan untuk menemukannya. Saya akan mengirim beberapa anak saya untuk membantu tim Anda menyelesaikan misi. (Send your men out to track those outsiders and kill them. Put out a manhunt, frame them, anything you can do to find them. I'll send some of my boys to help your team complete the mission.)"

Katuuk wasn't sure what he was thinking. Even a dirty chief like him has standards to follow. After all, he only took care of turning his police force away from Naki's activities and some minor operations.

"Anda pasti sudah gila jika Anda pikir saya bisa- (You must be out of your mind if you think I can just-)"

"Bahwa. Apakah perintah. Saya tidak peduli jika Anda harus melanggar kebijakan Anda atau kehilangan lebih banyak orang. Itu adalah prioritas. Atau Anda ingin saya memotong 90% dari pembayaran Anda? Karena aku bisa pergi lebih rendah jika kamu mau. (That. Is an order. I don't care if you have to breach your policies or lose more of your men. That is a priority. Or would you like me to cut 90% of your payment down? Cause I can go even lower if you want.)"

Katuuk's grip on the seat tightened as he sat in his own bundle of rage. His breathing intensified before he recollected himself.

"Tidak, aku akan menemukan tersangka. (No. I'll find the suspects.)"

"Baik, (Good,)" Naki said. "Jika saya mendengar mereka masih hidup pada sore hari, berdoalah agar saya tidak menelepon Anda. (If I hear they're still alive by afternoon, pray that I don't call you.)"

Once the call ended, Katuuk slowly lowered his phone, finding himself in the threshold of life and death. This time, he wasn't going to bribe his way out. Not with what money he has left. However, he did get information from his informant in the Embassy on the location of their hideout.

10:23 AM, Local Time

As the team waited for Lacroix who was still out, Gabriel's phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out and after reading the ID, he answered it.

"Go ahead, 2." Gabriel said.

"We're blown. The police are on their way to the hideout. Get out of there now." Lacroix warned.

Without any hesitation, Gabriel hung up and turned to the team who were occupied with their own activities.

"Team, drop what you're doing and pack everything up right now!" He ordered as he reached for the gear.

McCree looked up from a document he was reading. "What's going on? Something happened?",

"We've been compromised. Destroy all the documents and anything that could leave a trace to us now!"

The team immediately got into it and packed everything they could manage. McCree stripped the board of all the photos and files, dumped them into a bin and doused it with gasoline before lighting it in flames. Everybody frantically and hastily searched for anything to burn to erase their existence in this building.

Arriving at the hideout, several police cruisers and a black car stopped at the side with no sirens and everybody got out. Police officers on Naki's payroll stormed the front door with the Four Arms gangsters following them, slightly better armed than the cops. Some of the cops stayed outside to keep guard. Once they entered, there was no sign of their targets. As the group searched the building, one of the police officers made a call through a burner phone that exclusively connects them to Chief Katuuk.

"Apakah mereka sudah mati? (Are they dead?)" the Chief asked.

"Tidak ada tanda-tanda dari mereka, tuan, (No sign of them, sir,)" the cop said. "Mereka pasti tahu kita mengejar mereka dan melarikan diri. (They must've figured out we were after them and fled.)"

"Pak! Saya menemukan sesuatu di bawah meja ini! (Sir! I found something under this table!)"

The cop turned around and noticed his fellow cop holding up a side of a tablecloth, looking underneath it. Keeping the chief on standby, the cop approached the table and looked underneath. Through the dark, they noticed several red dots flashing. The cop's eyes widened just as he realized what it was.

"Sial! Kami mendapat- (Sial! We got a-)"

As the team headed down a hidden stairwell, they heard a muffled rumble from above and dust crumbled from the ceiling. Gabriel was watching the CCTV footage from the phone before detonating the emergency C4 the CIA had snuck in for them. There was no chance of both the cops and the gangsters surviving the explosion, especially when it collapsed onto their heads.

After reaching the tunnel underneath the safe house, the team stuffed their gear into a grey Mercedes before entering the car. McCree ignited the engine and drove off through the dark tunnel.

"Well that was a goddamn cluster." McCree said.

"No shit," Gabriel replied. "They must've found out we're here and what we're doing somehow."

"Sounds like we might have a rat in the Embassy."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Shortly, McCree drove the team out of the tunnel, leading them to a wide canalised river which happened to be outside their hideout. McCree took a right and drove down the river. Genji perched up after hearing faint sirens from behind. He turned around and looked behind the window where he noticed two police cruisers driving on the street beside them from a distance.

"We picked up a tail." Genji said.

Gabriel glanced at his rear mirror and noticed the police cruisers chasing the team. The cruisers drove down the hill and onto the river, gaining some speed. Genji then noticed a police officer point his gun at their car and open fire. Genji ducked down as the shots hit the back of their car and the window.

"I'll handle it!" Genji called out, reaching for the bag carrying the weapons.

After grabbing an MCX and loading it with a full mag, Genji waited for the gunshots to stop. Once there was a brief pause from the police, he sat on the side window and opened fire. Genji fired at the cruiser at the left, hitting the front as both police cruisers began to swerve around erratically. Genji then aligned his shots to the window where the unsuspecting police officers were, riddling them with bullets as glass shards projected onto them and blood splattered from inside. The cruiser then began to slow down with smoke wafting from the front and swerve onto the corners of the hill, coming to a complete stop. One down, one to go.

Genji turned to his right and noticed the last police cruiser aligning itself with the team's car. Genji opened fire at the cruiser before the police officer could aim his gun. Then, he heard a click from his rifle. Genji quickly disposed of the empty mag and burrowed into the bag for a new one. Gunshots erupted from the side and pounded the doors.

"Anytime now, Genji!" Gabriel shouted.

"Good thing those crooks are lousy shots!" McCree called.

Genji finally found the full mag, loaded the rifle and pressed the bolt catch before aiming for the drivers. The shots hit both the driver and his partner inside. Genji watched as the cruiser swerved away from the team and crashed into a garbage pile, flipping over onto its top. Genji noticed one of the police officers' launch out of the window and fall onto the ground. The sirens died down as the cruiser slid away and shrunk from the team's view.

"Targets down. They won't be after us for now." Genji said, getting back inside the car.

"Alright," Gabriel said. "Hide the gun."

The drive led them back onto the road and into the streets. The embassy was close by so it wouldn't take long to arrive.

3:00 PM, Local Time

Katuuk's feet tapped on the gravel rapidly. As predicted, Naki has ordered him to meet him through a phone call. A meeting Katuuk can't decline. Which was how he ended up at an isolated cliffside in the hills overlooking Jakarta. Just in case, he brought along some of his police officers for protection.

Then, the Four Arms arrived with three black cars stopping in front of him. The doors opened and gangsters got out with most of them armed with rifles while the rest were unarmed. Then, the door of the car in the middle opened and stepping out of it was none other than Eyo Naki himself in the flesh. Despite him being much older than Katuuk, Naki's deadshot eye and his face shaped by the war can make a combination of the army and the entire police force fear him. Adjusting his sleeve of his coat over his pinstripe suit and turtleneck, he approached Katuuk with every loud and slow step filling the dread before taking his hat off.

"Saya memperingatkan Anda, bukan? (I warned you, didn't I?)" Naki growled. "Saya ingin orang luar itu mati sebelum sore, namun saya dengar mereka masih hidup. Ingin mengatakan sesuatu? (I wanted those outsiders dead before afternoon and yet I hear they're still alive. Got anything to say?)"

Katuuk took a deep breath. "Itu tidak bisa dihindari. Orang-orang ini berpengalaman. Mereka pasti tahu kita sudah mengetahui lokasinya. (It was inevitable. These people are experienced. They must've known we figured out their location.)"

"Dan Anda mengatakan bahwa Anda tidak bisa melakukan apa-apa lagi? (And you're saying that you can't do anything else?)"

"Saya katakan kita harus berhati-hati! Orang-orang ini tidak menyukai penjahat yang Anda hadapi. Mereka memiliki tenaga yang cukup untuk melebihi jumlah kita. (I'm saying we should be careful! These people aren't like those thugs you've dealt with. They have enough manpower to outnumber us.)"

"Menurutmu teroris barat itu membuatku takut? Saya telah membangun karir saya dengan darah dan keringat saya! Saya tidak akan membiarkan beberapa orang luar menghancurkan apa yang saya buat! Aku bodoh karena mengira kamu mampu menangani ini. Anda tidak lebih dari buang-buang waktu yang tidak kompeten. (You think those western terrorists scare me? I've built my career with my fucking blood and sweat! I'm not going to let some outsiders destroy what I've created! I was a fool to think you were capable of handling this. You're nothing more but an incompetent waste of time.)"

At this point, Katuuk has had enough.

"Saya lebih baik menjadi orang bodoh daripada bekerja untuk teroris seperti Anda! (I'd rather be a fool than work for a terrorist like you!)" he snapped.

Naki glanced at him with an eye that could pierce through his heart.

"Apa katamu? (What did you say?)"

"Saya muak dan lelah mengambil tanggung jawab atas semua hal yang telah Anda lakukan, (I'm sick and tired of taking responsibility for all the shit you've done,)" Katuuk continued. "Tahukah Anda berapa banyak petugas polisi yang kehilangan tugas sejak saya mulai bekerja untuk Anda? Apakah Anda tahu apa yang harus saya tangani hanya agar Anda tidak ditangkap? Tidak. Karena Anda seorang teroris. Anda hanya peduli untuk memuaskan ego Anda yang membengkak. Aku seharusnya menangkapmu saat aku punya kesempatan! (Do you know how many police officers I've lost on the line of duty ever since I started working for you? Do you know what I had to deal with just to keep you from getting arrested? No, you don't. Because you're a terrorist. You only care about satisfying your inflated ego. I should've had you arrested when I had the chance!)"

"Perhatikan lidah kotormu itu. Kamu pikir kamu siapa, ya? Ketahuilah tempatmu! (Watch that filthy tongue of yours. Who the fuck do you think you are, huh? Know your damn place!)"

"Anda tidak menakut-nakuti saya lagi, Naki. Anda ingin membunuh tentara barat itu, lakukan sendiri. Dilakukan. (You don't scare me anymore, Naki. You want to kill those western soldiers, do it yourself. We're done.)"

Katuuk then ordered his men to get moving as he turned away. As he headed towards his car, Naki drew out his pistol from his holster and fired two rounds to each of his legs. Katuuk let out a cry and fell towards the cruiser. The police officers sluggishly reacted to the sounds of gunshots and Naki's men raised their weapons. They gave the police officers bzero chance to fight back as the bullets shredded into them, clearing them out in seconds. The gunfire ceased and the men lowered their weapons, leaving Katuuk the last one alive.

Naki approached Katuuk who sat up against the cruiser, unable to feel his legs. Naki aimed his pistol at Katuuk's head and shot him dead without hesitation. His hand fell onto the ground lifelessly and his eyes strayed away as blood streamed from his forehead. Naki stared at his body as he holstered his pistol with no remorse like how he treated his victims. He spat at Katuuk's corpse before turning away to his men.

"Ayo kembali. Kami akan berburu. (Let's head back. We're going on a hunt.)"

7:30 PM, Local Time

Embassy of the United States

The team watched the TV by the board broadcasting mostly unimportant news while waiting for Amélie to report back. Shortly, the news then showed a new report of a murder. The camera focused on a crime scene at a cliffside with the police surrounding it where the reporter explained the bodies of Chief Katuuk and some of the other police officers were found. Judging by the way the news is portraying Katuuk and the police, the locals wouldn't be surprised about it since they've lost whatever was left of their faith.

"Seems like the Four Arms did us a favor dealing with those dirty cops," McCree said. "Makes our job a lot easier."

"Would've been better if I had taken him out." Genji said.

"I know, Genji. Naki's next so you'll get your chance." Gabriel told him.

The sounds of the door opening behind them caught the team's attention, seeing Amélie entering the room, carrying some documents. She was tasked in finding the person who ratted them out and it was no surprise she was skilled in finding them.

"Who was the rat?" Gabriel asked.

"A local analyst of the embassy," Amélie answered. "Katuuk sent him here. I managed to squeeze the information out of him before handing him off to the CIA. They'll be putting him in a blacksite since they believe he has been a mole for other Islamic terror cells."

"So what's our situation with the Four Arms?" McCree asked.

Amélie placed the documents onto the table, with a picture of a satellite shot of a row of houses.

"The analyst gave us the address of Naki and his gang's hideout. They're at a townhouse in South Jakarta. He also told me that they're currently planning their next move. My best guess is that they're going to start a war against us."

After reading the documents and the map of the hideout, Gabriel got his hands off the table and faced his team.

"Well, if Naki's that pissed off, then who are we to decline his offer?" Gabriel stepped in. "If he wants a war, then we'll bring it to his front door. Get geared up, team. We move out in thirty mikes."

8:23 PM, Local Time

Twas the night before the chaos. Blackwatch has already made their arrival at the townhouse in South Jakarta where Naki and his men would be at. Turns out, they were near a town that was a hotspot for a night out. The townhouses itself resembled buildings from either the UK or the Netherlands. The team parked by the back alley between the townhouse and a bar. The sky was pitch black with some vague clouds hovering above but the townhouses were bright from the windows.

"Shadow 1 to Shadow 2, we're at the target's destination, over." Gabriel said.

"Copy, Shadow 1. Got visual on the hideout. No patrols. Possible hostiles inside the building." Amélie replied.

The sniper was positioned at a rooftop of a building across the townhouse where she would get a clear sight of Naki and his men.

"Copy, Shadow 2. We'll get the bastards. Out," Gabriel then reached for the door. "Alright, let's get this done."

The team got out, already fitted with plate carriers over their clothes, gear and balaclavas and their suppressed weapons and made their way to the alley. Genji paced after Gabriel, taking the lead as they walked down the alley to where the townhouse's backyard would be. He was particularly eager in taking Naki down, after losing his grasp on Katuuk. This time, nobody leaves this building alive.

Genji and the team arrived at the back gate leading to the townhouse's backyard. After a brief check of their surroundings, Gabriel led the team in after opening the partially closed gate. At the front was a glass door where they saw a group of Four Arms gangsters by a table, possibly setting up their weapons.

"Hostiles inside the building." McCree said.

The team moved quietly away from the door, blending in with the dark. Music was blaring from inside, making it easier for them to move without the gangsters hearing anything outside. They approached the wall beside it and stacked up.

"Shadow 1 to Shadow 2, we're breaching the building, out." Gabriel said.

"Bien reçu."

After getting off the comms, Gabriel turned to Genji.

"All yours, Genji. Bring in the heat."

Genji nodded and moved past Gabriel towards the door. McCree held out a grenade for the next hit. Getting his MCX ready, he reached the glass door and faced the gangsters still unaware of his presence. Just as one of them looked up and noticed Genji, he opened fire with full automatic rounds, dropping the gangsters in front of him as the glass shattered into pieces. The rest of the gangsters began to scramble while grabbing their weapons.

"Tossing frag!" McCree called out as he threw a grenade into the room.

Just as the team entered the room, an explosion erupted and debris flew outwards. The music began to die down, drowned out by the gunfire. Some blood spilled from the area. Genji took cover behind a kitchen as gunshots erupted from the front of the house. Gabriel and McCree took cover behind some tables. Most of the loud shots came from either a pistol or an SMG.

Genji moved out of cover and saw a gangster approaching him face on with a rifle. The full automatic rounds riddled into the gangster before he could react. As the body fell down, Genji dived and rolled towards a drawer table, taking cover from further gunfire before noticing a gangster hiding inside a room trying to fire through the narrow gap of the door. Genji shot his foot and the gangster let out cry and lost balance, leaving Genji an open view of multiple rounds to his body. Moving out of cover, Genji and the team took out the rest of the gangsters near a living room with a large pool table.

"Leading." Genji said as the team approached the stairs.

As they moved up the stairwell, Genji heard frantic footsteps and faint shouts from outside and above. He noticed a gangster appear from the left about to aim his gun. Genji fired first, taking him out with several shots to the head. His body then fell onto the stairs and tumbled down. Genji then noticed a pair of legs on the hallway of the next floor through the stair gap. Firing several rounds to the legs were enough to make the gangster collapse. Reaching the next floor, Genji finished off the downed gangster and headed towards the room to his left where he noticed a man running on the rooftops through an open window with two of his men following him. That has to be Naki.

"I got visual on the target! He's on the rooftops!" Genji reported.

"Shadow 2, HVT fleeing on the roof. Do you have a visual, over?" Gabriel asked.

"Negative, I have no visual on HVT," Widowmaker replied on comms. "But you got hostiles moving in to the front door. I'll hold them off as much as I can."

"I'll go after him." Genji suggested.

Gabriel nodded. "Go. McCree, with me!"

Genji headed into the room with the open window while both Gabriel and McCree stayed back to hold off oncoming gangsters. After climbing through the window, Genji moved towards a chimney and then suddenly, a gangster with a camo balaclava emerged from behind and swung a machete across him. Genji managed to dodge the hill swing and the attack after it. Then, he heard voices behind the masked gangster closing in.

Once the masked gangster swung his next hit, Genji let go of his rifle and grabbed onto his wrist before punching his throat. With the masked gangster unable to fight back with a broken windpipe, Genji held onto the base of the machete, stepped to the masked gangster's side and drove it into his stomach.

The blades protruded through his body with blood dripping from the tip. Pulling out his suppressed Glock, Genji noticed several other gangsters heading his way and used the masked gangster for cover as bullets hit the gangster's body, hardly going through to Genji. He managed to take out two gangsters before tossing the masked one aside and advancing further through the rooftop.

As Genji made his way over another rooftop connected to each townhouse in this area, he caught sight of two of Naki's men calling in reinforcements from the other houses to hold Genji off before continuing to escort Naki away. There were only a handful of them. Genji took cover behind a small garden as gunfire erupted after him. He leaned over to the left and took out one of the gangsters near a door before running dry. Getting back in cover, Genji ejected the empty mag and inserted a new one before hitting the bolt catch.

Turning to his right, Genji moved out of cover to find a gangster approaching his position amidst the gunfire. Genji shot his abdomen before aiming for his chest, taking him out in an instant. One of the gangsters behind him got distracted, leaving him open for Genji to take him out too.

He then noticed more from the other side, shooting at him. Taking cover once again, Genji took a flashbang from his battle belt and tossed it to the gangster's position. A loud bang erupted and sounds of pained cries followed up as gunfire ceased. Genji moved out of cover and took out the remaining disorientated gangsters before continuing his chase after Naki.

Reaching another rooftop of a different townhouse, he found Naki running into a door with his men helping close the door. Genji took aim and fired his rounds, taking both of them out. As he closed in on the door, his instincts flared up and Genji noticed one of the gangsters he shot grab onto his rifle. Genji kicked his leg, bringing him onto his knees and pulled out his Glock, firing several shots into his head until it ran dry. As the gangster fell away and his grip loosened, Genji swapped pistol mags and racked the slide before opening the door.

"Shadow 5, HVT entering a new building. Moving in with caution." Genji said as he entered a room with stairs down below.

Using his rifle, Genji went down the stairs with heightened sense, expecting an element of surprise. He made sure his steps on the wooden stairs didn't creak loud enough for anyone to hear. Genji found himself on a floor with several rooms. Every room he checked was empty. Suddenly, he heard something fall onto the ground downstairs.

Genji slowly went down the stairs and just as he stepped onto the floor below, he saw Naki at the kitchen and aimed his rifle. Naki ducked down behind the counter as Genji fired at him. The bullets shattered some of the glass and tiles behind the counter. Suddenly, he heard a click. His rifle was jammed. Genji glanced up and saw Naki now standing from the counter, drawing his pistol from a shoulder holster.

Genji quickly dropped his rifle and dove for the front counter as the shots zipped above him. Genji was able to get a good look of Naki and he looked much older than the photo with the grayed hair and distinct wrinkles, complemented with a black turtleneck and pinstripe pants like he was still reliving his 40s.

Genji pulled out his Glock and blindly fired back from the counter. The sounds of more glass shattered echoed across the room. Slipping to the side of the kitchen, Naki suddenly attacked him, slapping Genji's pistol out of sight. Genji managed to grab hold of Naki and pushed him against the fridge. He managed to pry the pistol off Naki's hand and toss it away from reach before getting kneed in the stomach and kicked back.

Looking back up, Genji noticed Naki take out a karambit and spun it as he got on his feet. For a man in his 70s, he was still able to hold off a punch. He somewhat reminded him of his father. Genji got into his fighting stance, not planning to pull any punches.

"Saya tidak akan membiarkan teroris mengakhiri warisan saya!" Naki growled hoarsely, charging at him with the knife.

Genji dodged Naki's rapid swings, including several lethal jabs. Genji managed to grab hold of Naki's arm, delivering an elbow to the forearm until Naki lost grip of his karambit before turning a heel and throwing him onto the counter surface. Turning around, Genji watched Naki slide off the table to the other side. Glancing down at the karambit, Genji swiped it off the floor as he moved towards Naki's position.

Naki threw a punch and Genji slipped below, getting behind the gang leader. Spinning around, he swung a hit to Naki's arm, leaving a cut. Naki was slow to react to Genji dodging his attack, further emphasizing his fading abilities through age. He wasn't going to survive this. Genji then let Naki throw another punch, pushed it away with his free hand and delivered a heavy cut to his forearm. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to use his vital amount of arm strength.

Genji stooped down and pierced the karambit through Naki's left ankle. This was enough to bring him to his one knee. As he let out a jarring cry, Genji felt Naki's hand force onto his face, with one of his fingers trying to reach his eye. Pulling the karambit out, Genji went for his other leg with a swift swipe. The cut managed to distract Naki enough for Genji to stab him in the stomach.

Twisting the karambit upwards, Genji forced Naki onto his feet while holding his arm. He noticed Naki can barely stand on his two feet anymore thanks to the cuts. Genji then turned the karambit to the left and drew a deep cut across Naki's body and stabbed his right arm after noticing his attempted hit. With the blade deep inside his arm, Genji pushed it towards the shoulder, leaving blood spilling onto the wooden floorboards. Finally, Genji has his sights on Naki's throat. He suffered enough. This is his final blow.

Genji thrusted the blade into his throat, deep into the skin and inside. He heard the sound of knees falling onto the ground. The movement stopped and Genji panted as he listened to Naki's gargling. Genji's eyes caught Naki's as he stared into the last eye slowly losing colour as Genji's deadshot gaze further pierced into his head. He then slightly leaned towards Naki.

"May God forgive you." Genji whispered before pulling the karambit out.

He stared forward as the thud accompanied the silence. After some time, Genji looked back at Naki's body soaked and drowned in a puddle of dark velvet red blood. The blood paid for the atrocities but he wouldn't expect it to be returned with grace. After all, people like Naki are beyond redemption.

"Shadow 5, status, over!" Gabriel's voice buzzed from Genji's comms.

Genji responded, tapping the comms. "HVT is KIA, over."

"Copy, Shadow 5. Target house is secure and all hostiles are KIA. Time to disappear."

Genji got off the comms and glanced back at the body, noticing the blood on his gloves and plate carrier. He silently bid farewell and placed the karambit on the counter before heading back on the rooftops and eventually meeting up with the team, surrounded by a load of bodies from the inside to the outside.

The Next Day

12:30 PM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

Embassy of the United States

The day after their mission in Jakarta, Gabriel and Amélie have been called in to meet with Salvatore at the Embassy for something important. Ever since the death of Naki and Katuuk, most international news channels have been reporting on this incident overnight. The discovery of both the missing war criminal and the sheer amounts of bodies left behind at the townhouse was enough to attract international attention, although they acknowledged they were part of the Four Arms which has apparently been crippled due to Naki's death.

Jakarta Police has also been on damage control after leaks exposed Katuuk and his followers' corruption. Some other officials have also been arrested after evidence pointed fingers at them while most were unaware of Katuuk's corruption, especially the commissioner. Being unaware is even harder to control when the public has already lost their faith.

After entering the hallway to the room where Salvatore would be, Gabriel and Amélie found the door open and allowed themselves in. As Gabriel entered the room, he turned to where Salvatore was sitting at and noticed something that caught him by surprise. Salvatore wasn't alone this time. There was another man sitting with him, wearing the same uniform as Salvatore's. His hat was placed by the corner of the table. Faded blonde hair and a familiar face. Of all times, Gabriel would've never expected his old friend from the Delta Force to be here, in this Embassy.

"Jack?" Gabriel muttered.

The colonel stood up, approaching him with a stretched hand. "Been a long time, Gabe."

Gabriel said nothing. He was still comprehending the situation and the possibilities of his presence. Gabriel raised his hand and shook Jack's just to not keep him hanging.

"It sure has."

Jack Morrison was a colonel back at Delta, as well as Gabriel's team leader. He learnt a lot from him, something he took into consideration when becoming a leader of his own covert team for NATO. They weren't just acquaintances in the military. Their friendship skyrocketed after meeting each other back at the army. Gabriel hadn't seen Jack ever since his enlistment for Blackwatch. Something between them began to change forward on.

"What's happening?" Amélie asked.

Jack and Gabriel glanced at Salvatore. Noticing the eyes on him, he sighed as he stood up from his chair and adjusted his collar.

"Well, I'm officially retiring," Salvatore answered. "Nothing bad about it. Just believe this soldier should turn in. Colonel Morrison will be handling future Blackwatch operations. Since you two know each other, I believe you'll get along real well."

"Trust me," Jack said before turning to Gabriel with a smirk. "We will."

The two continued to stare at each other, no words exchanged. Amélie glanced at them, noticing a sense of tension. She would be wrong to think they would still offer a warm welcome. Gabriel never talked about Morrison before. From what she knows, Amélie could only predict not just a change of direction now that Morrison is taking over but a divide between the two leaders. A divide that could shape Blackwatch's purpose.

[dogbearinggifts]

And Now, a PSA Regarding Abuse

I know this is different from the sort of stuff I usually post, but this has been on my mind for a while. As I’ve browsed certain fandoms on this site, I’ve stumbled across a common argument. One person, usually an abuse survivor, says they believe a character was abused, citing signs and personality traits that echo their own experiences. Another person, who was usually not abused, will say “No, they couldn’t have been abused,” and then cite one misconception or another. 

And as an abuse survivor, it bothers me. 

I know that in many cases, the character fans argue over is controversial to begin with. One that comes to mind is Draco Malfoy. Those who argue against the abused!Draco headcanon might have good intentions—in many cases I’ve seen, they feel as though fans in favor of the headcanon are trying to turn a racist asshole into some precious woobie—but the problem is that in doing so, they’re talking over actual abuse survivors. When they say “No, he couldn’t have been abused because no abused child would say ‘My father is going to hear about this!’” or “An abused child wouldn’t know that parents are supposed to protect their kids,” they’re discounting actual survivor stories and perpetuating the myth that there is only one correct response to abuse.

So, I’m going to address some common fallacies brought up in these types of arguments. 

1. “They couldn’t have been abused. Their parents spoiled them rotten.” 

My dad is a self-made man, the type who started at the very bottom of the ladder and worked his way up. As such, I enjoyed a childhood that became progressively more comfortable. I wore nice clothes, got a car on my eighteenth birthday (an old car, but it was still a gift I couldn’t have afforded on my own) and not only did my mom cook dinner at home every night, but when she learned I had food sensitivities, she began buying only organic and all-natural ingredients. When I wanted to paint my room purple at age 13, my dad took me to Home Depot to look at paint samples, then came home and painted my walls the exact shade I’d chosen. 

This was thrown in my face at every turn. 

If I ever disagreed with my parents, even over something trivial, or made a joke that they found offensive, I was treated to a tirade of verbal abuse beginning with a litany of all the things they did for me, how they never got such nice things at my age, and how ungrateful I was for them. These “lectures” usually ended with me in tears—not because I was a sensitive brat (as they claimed) but because they knew every one of my sore spots and pressed and pressed until I couldn’t take the pain. 

2. “If they were abused, they wouldn’t know that parents are supposed to protect their kids.” 

My parents treated me like shit. There’s no other word for it. I vividly recall one time when I did something that made my mom angry. I think I interrupted a lecture about my grades (I had a B in math, which was Absolutely Unacceptable to them) to say that I was trying as hard as I could and a B was the best I could do. She found my tone disrespectful (in reality, it was probably more desperate than disrespectful) and left me to my dad. I’ll never forget what he said: 

“The way you treat your mom is like if some rich guy found a homeless man on the street, gave him food, new clothes, all the money in his bank account, signed over the deed to his house and gave him his car, then asked for a ride home—and the homeless guy said ‘Nope. Get your own ride.’” 

That was normal, coming from my parents. It was normal for them to wound me as deeply as they could over trivial matters. And yet when my mom learned I was being bullied and the school was basically sweeping it under the rug, she was ready to rain down righteous fury on the entire administrative staff. She was livid. She treated me like garbage when I annoyed her, but when someone else hurt me, it was time for hellfire and brimstone. 

3. “They’re too sassy/not sassy enough.” 

This is a misconception I had, before talking with other survivors. See, in my household, compliance was the only way to survive. The only way to get through the day without being subjected to hours of verbal abuse was to do whatever my parents wanted, as soon as they wanted it done, and do it with the biggest smile I could muster. As a result, I internalized the abuse. For years, I thought that whenever my parents sat me down and railed about how selfish I was, it was because I really was a sinful, selfish brat. 

As a result, Harry Potter’s sass toward the Dursleys struck me as unrealistic—because in my household, it was. Had I shown my parents half the sass Harry showed Petunia and Vernon, I would have been grounded for a year and verbally abused every morning before I went to school. Then I spoke to other survivors, whose situations were different from mine, and heard that “No, sass was how I survived.” 

This brings me to….

4. “Their situation doesn’t read as abusive.” 

There is no universal experience of abuse. As Leo Tolstoy once said, “Happy families are all alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” 

There are multiple forms of abuse—verbal, physical, emotional, psychological, sexual. Each one of these carries profoundly different psychological consequences, and these consequences are determined in part by the severity of the abuse, other circumstances in the home, role of the abuser, and the personality of the one being abused. 

In other words, no two abuse survivors are alike. Two siblings can have the same parents and experience the abuse differently. 

Which leads me to….

5. “They don’t act like an abuse survivor.” 

Tom Card, Michael Westen’s former handler on the show Burn Notice, summed it up better than I could: 

“Imagine that you're holding onto two bottles and they drop on the floor. What happens? They both break. But it's how they break that's important. Because, you see, while one bottle crumples into a pile of glass, the other shatters into a jagged-edged weapon. You see, the exact same environment that forged older brother into a warrior crushed baby brother. People just don't all break the same, Mrs. Westen. Just don't.” 

The “environment” to which he refers here is a home with a violent, alcoholic father. Michael, the older brother and protagonist of the show, fought his dad at every turn, joined the military, and eventually the CIA. His younger brother, Nate, became a compliant people-pleaser, blaming himself for a string of failed relationships. 

In conclusion: If you don’t think a character was abused, fine. That’s your opinion. But don’t talk over abuse survivors to get your point across. And do not, repeat, do not assume that a character who does not fit your preconceived notion of an abuse survivor was not abused. 

Because people don’t all break the same way. They just don’t. 

[movieswithkevin27]

Isle of Dogs

There are few joys in filmgoing greater than getting to see a new Wes Anderson film. Isle of Dogs, of course, is no exception. This eccentric, whip smart, socially conscious, touching, and truly funny film is not just a beautiful ode to the relationship shared between humans and their beloved dogs, but also an examination of serious political issues. Masking the latter behind layers of classic Anderson quirkiness, influence from Akira Kurosawa, and a celebration of Japanese culture and of dogs, Isle of Dogs proves to be a deceptively smart and heart wrenching film. Though the year is not even half over, it is nearly impossible to imagine that Isle of Dogs will not be seen as one of the greatest films of 2018. Not only does it expertly balance those themes, but it is also a charming and funny comedy, has great vocal performances, and is a truly gorgeously animated film that continues to prove that Anderson is not just a master of live action but also of animation. Truly, there is simply not a foot misplaced in the Isle of Dogs.

Directors often know their limitations and, for Wes Anderson, it is being able to approach things without comedy. Yet, this has never dulled the impact of his examination of serious issues, particularly death and fractured families. However, his examination of those issues could be done with comedy and charm via his quirky touch without seeming offensive. Serious political issues and parallels to the Holocaust as experienced by dogs in a live-action film would undoubtedly be seen as somewhat tone deaf or, at best, flippant to the issues it is approaching. Thus, Isle of Dogs’ political and societal concerns as well as its parallels are buried beneath stop-motion animation and the world of the dogs in order to not blunt its impact, but to make it clear that Anderson is not making light of the serious issues. Instead, they are ideas applied as an undercurrent to the world of dogs that still have ramifications for those in the world of humans, but allow him to treat the issues with the same dose of comedy and joy that he is so known for. This is especially beneficial in how closely the film’s events mirror the Holocaust or any other genocide, but especially the former. Had Anderson directed a comedy live action film about people going through the same situation, it may be labeled as tone deaf and not understanding of the fact that real people died. Thus, he takes those events, and applies them to the world of dogs, as it occurs in futuristic Japan. As the dogs are blamed for society’s ills, rounded up, shipped off to Ghettos, and eventually nearly killed via a “final solution” to euthanize them with poison gas, Isle of Dogs is certainly quite moving and fraught with peril, but also possesses balance and gravitas a live action telling of the story via Wes Anderson would not possess. Here, they are cartoon dogs so treating it with some irreverence and a light touch really makes it come to life, rather than seeming flippant about these chillingly real events.

The similarity to the Holocaust is also pertinent in how the film explores how the dogs and Kobayashi’s have long been at odds, if it were not for a young samurai who turned on his species and helped the dogs win a war between species many years ago. It is hard to not see this as being akin to Moses, turning against his adopted parents, and helping to lead the Jews out of Egypt and out of bondage. This history lesson, coupled with a modern portrayal of dogs being genocided due to past prejudices and due to the irrational hatred they face in Nagasaki, proves to be as much about history as it is about the present and future. By setting the action in the future, Anderson is able to provide a warning to the audience. Yes, it is cute and funny to watch these dogs live in a world on their own, but what is happening the dogs could happen to others, just as it happened to the Jews before. In present day America, the world is being torn apart due to a hatred of people in the LGBTQ community, of blacks, of Hispanics, and of Muslims, with all three being seen as a scourge to society who help to bring the wrath of God upon America and Europe. The dogs may be cute and Anderson may present this serious topic with his typical brand of humor, but the message is anything but cute and funny. This is a film that aims to warn people that blaming a race for the ills of society is not just dangerous, but also something that could lead to great tragedy and atrocity unless someone is willing to fight to prevent it from occurring. Genocide is not restricted to the pages of history, rather it is something in which the seeds have already been planted and must be dug up before this dystopic future vision of Nagasaki becomes a dystopic present in our world.

The film’s ideas extend beyond presenting and warning about genocide, but also in examining the current political rhetoric of the time. This is a world in which, not only are dogs blamed for society’s ills, but the regime actively tries to suppress information that proves the opposite is true. Going as far as killing their opposition and arguing in favor of doing whatever necessary to keep the information hidden, while brandishing student protestors as being foreign operatives sent to cause unrest, it is hard to not see this as a parallel to modern America. This family of Kobayashi’s win elections via landslides, have been in power for an extensive period, and have always harbored great hatred for dogs due to their love of cats. Though scientists can prove the dogs are curable, the Kobayashi’s continue to plan to brutally kill the dogs after being the ones to have gotten them sick in the first place. This further echoes similarities to the CIA introducing crack and other drugs to black communities in the 1980s only for those in power now to continue killing or punishing them at extreme rates. The dogs are seen as dangerous and violent due to being sick, all the while the government was the one who made them sick in the first place. It is also greatly apparent that Isle of Dogs is an incredibly pro-science and pro-truth film in which Anderson positions the opposition to Kobayashi as being from the “Science Party”, while the young reporter actively works to uncover whether or not a serum was truly found to help the dogs. Though on a crusade of truth guided by science, the portrayal of scientists as the only ones to recognize the emotions and love between humans and dogs, also runs quite counter to the propaganda surrounding scientists as being disconnected people pushing callous agendas. Rather, the scientists here are full of love for dogs, doing whatever they can in order to save them. Instead of fighting with words, they risk their lives by taking action. Meanwhile, the leader continues to lie, spin, and mislead the public by going on television and constantly making comments that further his anti-dog agenda. If nothing else, Isle of Dogs is a film that champions the truth and damns those push lies to further their rhetoric at the expense of others’ safety and happiness.

This is a film where one does not need to see the “Directed by” in the credits to know it is a Wes Anderson film. Possessing all of his usual traits such as familial strife, death in the family, quirky deadpan humor, symmetry, characters in uniforms, a play within the film, and more, Isle of Dogs is just as Wes Anderson as Wes Anderson films will love. Blended with the narrative structure, setting, style, and emotional core of an Akira Kurosawa film, Isle of Dogs comes off incredibly well. Though some have cited it as cultural appropriation or providing a tourist’s view of Japan - which is accurate - Isle of Dogs is a film in which Anderson is able to take his style and blend with the approach and ideas of a director whom he clearly loves. Even better, he is able to do it while creating a film that is not just him ripping off a legend but infusing it with his own style. Here, that is his love of stop-motion animation with a film that is meticulously crafted with attention every detail imaginable, while also including multiple terrific tracking landscape shots that steal the show as per usual. Not only do they capture the greatness of the film’s sets, but also provide Isle of Dogs with a great visual punch as the characters are captured in the same tracking shot, but always slightly altered. Either they are in a bucket being carried across the island, they are shown as shadows as they walk on a beach, or they are silhouettes walking on a bridge. All show not only the great set, but also allow Anderson to show he is not just a one-trick pony, but rather a director with a keen eye for striking visuals as well.

Yet, with the film being so clearly directed by Wes Anderson, it is hard to not see the film as a bit of a tongue-in-cheek apology letter with a pinch of self-criticism of top. One of the major traits of his films is the constant death of dogs. Not all of his films see a dog meet their demise, but enough of them do to make it a trend. For those accustomed to his work, one would not be blamed for assuming many dogs will meet their demise in a film largely made up with a dog cast. Anderson, of course, knows this, skirting around death at every chance he gets. A dog gets their ear ripped off, but hardly cares. A dead body is found in Spots’ cage, only for it not actually be Spots. The death of a dog is referenced, but not shown while being rationalized as self-preservation and a humane way for it to go out. This is in stark contrast to showing a dog getting killed by an arrow, only to then cut to a shot of the dead dog’s body with the arrow sticking out of it in Moonrise Kingdom. Of course, some of this could be due to the film being an animated work sure to attract kids and misguided parents, but also feels like Anderson playing with audience expectations. One may think he hates dogs and wants to see them killed like Kobayashi, but instead the deaths in the film are portrayed as tragic, while the relationship between humans and dogs is celebrated throughout. The young pilot is championed as a hero because he was willing to turn his back on his distant uncle, travel to the island, and find his dog. He is the only owner to do it, but it is an incredibly noble pursuit and one that proves wholly revealing as to the character of the young pilot and of the bond between a person and their beloved pet/companion. Even further, the film ends as Atari is working with his new cabinet and they promote the idea that all those who hurt dogs should be killed, before someone sheepishly says that may be a bit harsh and a 30-day jail sentence would be more appropriate. It is not hard to see this as Anderson’s own voice, knowing his own output’s propensity to treat dogs poorly. One can practically hear him nervously ask, “I killed some dogs in my movies, does that really mean I should die” That said, though he may somewhat make amends for his treatment of dogs, cat lovers will leave Isle of Dogs with no such note of apology. The cat thrown out of a window in The Grand Budapest Hotel will not be apologized for, as the Kobayashi family are all portrayed as ruthless cat lovers while the cats guard the cemetery occupied by the Kobayashi family tree to protect it from dogs.

In portraying this human-dog relationship, Isle of Dogs is never anything less than touching, especially in capturing the relationship between Atari and Spots as well as Atari and Chief. As Anderson’s camera cuts to close-ups of the characters as they go through emotional, yet necessary moments, it is always abundantly clear that Isle of Dogs understands the deep emotions of this relationship. Spots loves Atari, but he feels his dog family needs him so he must leave him behind, as long as he knows Atari is safe and knows that he will relieve him of his lifelong duty. Atari’s face after he thinks Spots is dead, only to later see hear him on his radio later on is a truly beautiful moment. The same goes for the moment where Spots swears in Chief as Atari’s new protector. For all the people in Nagasaki, they may have been willing to give away their people out of the fear-mongering (admittedly) undertaken by Kobayashi. However, as they see their dogs again and the dogs are reintegrated into society, it is hard to not smile at how well Isle of Dogs is able to portray the relationship and the bond shared between the two vastly different species.

Yet, at the core of its emotions and social commentary, Isle of Dogs is a film that is impeccably funny and charming. This may be one of Anderson’s most easily enjoyed films, crafting a film that rises on the performances and presence of the great array of dog/human characters introduced, as well as the incredibly funny and witty script. Performances from Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Koyu Rankin, Tilda Swinton, and Liev Schreiber, are all quintessentially Anderson and typically great performances from all. The presence of small characters such as the Oracle only further add to the film’s considerable charm, delivering a film that proves it can be more than witty - which it is - but also provide light bits of visual gags or commentary on dogs living in a human world. The end result of all of this is that Isle of Dogs is a truly funny film in which every character, whether it is the rough Chief or the gossipy Duke or the slightly dimwitted Boss all provide great humor and charm to this film. It is a lovingly written work with great attention paid to each character and how they can shine on their own four paws, rather than just seeing how they could contribute to the plot.

Isle of Dogs is a true blast and finds Wes Anderson continuing to work at the very pinnacle of his craft after delivering his best film to-date with The Grand Budapest Hotel. Isle of Dogs may not be quite as good, but it continues that not only is Anderson one of the best filmmakers working today, but he may very well be getting better with each successive work. Hysterical, charming, moving, thought-provoking, gorgeously animated and shot, and rich with details that will more than prove rewarding on rewatches, Isle of Dogs is yet another masterwork from Wes Anderson.

[idealisticrealism]

Blindspot 3x05 recap

Aka the one where all my sons are idiots and all my daughters are precious angels who deserve all the hugs.

Late again, because when am I not? Again, I blame the travelling.

So I’m kinda intrigued by this pair; the bleeding, accented woman and the young guy with an American accent in what seems to be a  super-dingy bathroom? What is going on here??

Patterson has been doing some fancy analysing of the adoption records and yeppp, Jane definitely had a kid. And ugh Patterson is so sweet and gentle about it and has done so much research so she could give Jane ALL the info and Jane is just Not Dealing. But hmmm Patterson tells her there’s no way to test if she’s had a child and lbr that’s not exactly true? A good ObGyn could generally tell just by looking at the cervix. Not a perfect measure, but it’s definitely an option. But anyhow Jane is too busy flipping out anyway, and ugh she mentions the Taylor Shaw thing and already having everything ripped away from her multiple times and man my heart just hurts for her rn. And Weller’s so at a loss for what to do or how to comfort her ugh my poor babies

Lol Reade and Zapata and their little Wizardville rivalry is super cute. And then she’s completely open with him and asks him directly about the State Department Guy thing and wow Reade just harshly shuts her down. I’m glad Patterson interrupts this little moment because it was definitely going nowhere good. But speaking of things that ARE good,  omg I love her pun about the ‘backbone’ of the case and Weller being all killjoy about it haha. That’s right, honey, just ignore him. Your humour is too good for him anyway. And so anyhow the tatt leads to a NYPD evidence log number, though Zapata notes that the code is different to what the NYPD uses now, and Reade gets super snarky at her for it. Geez son, learn some manners! Patterson backs Zapata up tho (yaaassss my girls), showing that the code is like 20 years old. Jeller go to check out the warehouse it points to while Zapata is given paperwork by Reade (wow, petty), though tbh Zapata ends up with the better deal since Jeller have to fight some bad guys and literally put out a fire. Ugh the way Jane yells for him as she tries to fight the fire alone-- it’s only when its the two of them together that they manage to extinguish it. Symbolism, much? Patterson calls right at that moment to warn them to get out, and it’s a little late, but well, it’s the thought that counts haha. Other warehouses have been burned, which means someone is trying super hard to destroy evidence but doesn’t know where it is. Jane, because she’s amazing, finds the box they nee-- and in it is a whole bunch of untested rape kits going back 20 years. I love the conversation the guys have about the low priority assigned to sexual assault testing-- it’s some good commentary from the writers about the state of the real world. 

Meanwhile, Stuart’s phone has been found in the river, and both Patterson and Zapata are very suspicious of the way Reade basically tells her to leave it alone. Looking super suss rn, bro, and I do not like it at allll.

However, I really DO like listening to Jane speak in other languages. So damn cool. And as someone who is currently staying in a foreign country and communicating solely in the local tongue, I have a renewed respect for her fluency lol.  Their Russian suspect conveniently elects to speak English though haha. How handy. He’s a bit of a tough guy but through a sneaky move on Jeller’s part, he gives them the info they need-- how he got paid, which gives them a lead on the people hiring him. Patterson also drops another pun, which is three so far this ep and I’m so proud. She also figures out that the the victim was likely linked to Kazarus, which as far as I’m aware is a fake place though tbh my geography is not super great. But anyhow, that narrows their search to two sexual assault survivors. 

And then aww Patterson pulls Weller aside and tries to support him about the whole surprise-kid thing, and ugh she’s just so sweet and wants to help both him and Jane as best she can. But he’s upset bc he knows he can’t fix this; no one can. I guess it all just takes time, right? Meanwhile Jane’s in the locker room, getting a call from Roman, and dude he really knew the whole time??  And ugh if she was sixteen when she had the baby (to her high school sweetheart aww) then he was probably about 14 at the time, just a kid himself who had suddenly become an uncle, and man I’m so sad for them both?? But lol she gets to the bullpen and covers the phone while practically yelling for them to trace the call. Not super subtle, Jane. And he tells her she initially fought Shepherd on giving the baby away and then she just ran away? I’m confused.  I guess we now understand a bit more about why Remi joined the army though I guess. Not sure how she ever went back to working for Shepherd, though, but maybe she saw the memory wipe as a way out? And Beardy was meant to fill her in on everything including the kid.  Idk. Jane’s now having a small breakdown in the locker room and decides she has to go see Shepherd, but Weller’s right when he says that Shepherd would just mess with her head. Don’t give her the satisfaction, Jane! And oh look, a mention of Bethany, haven’t had one of those in a while. And tbh that’s the way I like it, show, so keep ignoring her existence please haha.

In the lab, Patterson admits defeat about Stuart’s phone-- it’s as dead as he is. (Too soon??) But Zapata didn’t spend all that time at the CIA without gaining a few skills in the realms of deception and deviousness, and so they hatch a plan to bluff and lure out the possible mole. And then a lab tech in a headscarf calls them to see something, and the panning shot of the lab also shows another tech in a turban. Firstly, I approve of some diversity happening here, and secondly, I hope that this casting choice was deliberate so there would be people that looked at those characters and went “the traitor has to be one of them” so that when it’s shown that the traitor is someone else, the people watching have to examine just why it was that they thought either of these two background characters were guilty. (Hint: it’s racism!). Anyhow, the rape kit in question has been tested, and it turns out the rapist is the king of Kazarus. Or, the former king, since he died and his brother has assumed the throne. The only spanner in the works being that the rape resulted in a child, who, as per the Kazarussian monarchy, is the rightful heir to the throne. Which naturally means that Scar’s gotta have him taken out. Now we know who we saw at the start of the ep-- the kid and his mother, who was clearly attacked by the assassins but escaped. Now it’s a race for the team to find them before the Kazarussians do. 

And then who appears but Weitz, who is now a congressman, and conveniently an expert on Kazarus. I love that everyone looks at Hirst and she’s all “Don’t look at me, Darlins” and how is someone using ‘darling’ in plural like that so damn endearing??? The accent is what truly makes it though, obviously. But nope, it was Reade who called him, which is just another in the list of things Reade has done lately that we do not like. Weitz manages to make everyone hate him even more within mere seconds of showing up, and tbh I love to hate him. His antagonism towards Zapata is hilarious.  I like that even Hirst gives him some shit lol. Atta girl. Anyhow Weitz informs them that the ex-king’s brother Cyrus is a Bad Dude and there’s a bunch of american soldiers in Kazarus that are now at risk, and yep the stakes have just been raised

Reade gets called into the principal’s office to discuss his little spat with Zapata. How exactly does Hirst know about that, though? Though I guess if she’s paid attention to any of their interactions today then she probably could have figured it out. I’m offended that he calls Zapata a busybody?? But then he does at least say that she’s nothing to worry about and that she’s a friend. What do you two have to hide though??? Meanwhile in the lab, Patterson has found the kid by examining the curtains in a video that the kid sent to his gf. That’s my lil genius. Of course it’s super convenient that this type of curtain is only made for a specific motel chain, but whatevs, I’ll let it slide as I do with many things in this show haha. I love Zapata teasing Weitz though, suggesting that it was all too smart for him and went over his head haha

Jane’s clearly taking this case pretty personally-- and tbh it does seem veeeeeeeery convenient that there’s a case that resonates so closely with her current situation, until you remember that this time around, all the tattoos are specifically designed by Roman to be revealed in a certain order, so it makes total sense that the case matches stuff going on in their personal lives. More sense than when it happened in the last two seasons, so touche, writers. You win this round. Anyway they get to the hotel, and the kid immediately pulls a gun on them. His mom’s not looking too good though, kinda bleeding out a little on the bed, and ugh Jane does her frightened-animal whisperer thing and convinces the kid to let her help his mom. Naturally he chooses to trust her bc lbr wouldn’t you?? They get his mom to the hospital where she’s super well guarded, and he tells them about only learning at 18 about his mother’s attack. And he only learned yesterday about the whole king thing, and tells them he’ll never go to Kazarus. You just know that Jane is thinking about her baby and how the kid probably wouldn’t want to know her as they must think she abandoned them, and ugh it hurts. Why must you do this, show?

Back in the lab Patterson and Zapata have set their trap, and are waiting to see who falls into it-- only they don’t like the answer. According to her computer, Reade logged into the system to delete the files. Patterson is grim; she doesn’t like it, but she’s ready to believe it. When Zapata tries to insist that Reade wouldn’t do it, that he’s family, Patterson just reminds her: Borden was family too. And ugggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I do not like this at all. I am so done with leaks and moles and traitors and all of it ugh.  I do appreciate Weitz for making me smile here; Zapata is back at her desk and he throws a paper airplane at her, then feigns confusion, looking around for who could have done it. Tbh I actually do ship these two a little bit. All the bickering just does it for me lol. She gives him shit about probably not going to be re-elected, but he says he’s doing great in the polls. She says polls have been wrong before-- and is that some political commentary I hear? Man who was the writer of this ep because they are not pulling punches today. Reade comes over and tries to mend bridges, which tbh tastes a little sour after he was such an asshole this morning... give him nothing, Zapata!

Looks like Yasmine is gonna live, which is nice. She and Jane bond a little over protecting kids etc while Weller and the kid go to get something from the vending machine--- and ugh when they’re coming back Wller notices their guard from the door is gone and pushes the kid behind him. I love protective Weller. I also love Weller throwing an injured woman over his shoulder and carrying her to safety. Damn. He also proved pretty smart-- when they realised that the baddies were on their FBI comms, he bluffed and reported that they were headed for the roof while they escaped out the front door instead. Nice. Though why do I feel like that escape was too easy?

Patterson has figured out that it’s not Reade that’s tampering with their evidence, but someone else using his login. She confesses to Zapata about the backdoor that Wizardville gives her into people’s phones, and says she’s never used it before, which isn’t true though right?? Didn’t she use it on that Lowie guy’s lawyer a few eps ago? Anyway Zapata doesn’t care about the illegal biz, she just wants to hear her best(?) friend’s name cleared.  Turns out he wasn’t even in the building when someone used an FBI computer to access their files, so that’s at least looking good for him, even if it is bad for them as a whole

Weller reports in, and the team tracks their phones and immediately sends backup-- but too late, considering that the baddies have laid out a trap for them. Was this why it was so easy for them to get away?? Jeller manage to take out several bad dudes on their own, but not before one of them manages to molotov-cocktail their car, which blows up moments later. Dude that’s one potent cocktail… but ugh they all make it to safety, with Weller again literally carrying Yasmine, and ugh the mother and son hug and the husband and wife hug and it’s just a very poignant moment okay?? Also there’s just something really beautiful about the way Jane hugs, I can’t even really describe it. Anyhow they all make it back to the NYO, where the rest of the team (plus Weitz, in his own way) are super glad to see them alive. After a minute Zapata and Patterson sneak off, because Patterson needs to tell her the news-- the person using Reade’s login was Hirst. She’s sure because of biometric software that she runs on all of their computers, and again, man I’m super glad that these powers are in the hands of someone trustworthy like Patterson haha. But ugh this means my honey-accented cool aunt is a baddie?? She even knew that Lowie guy from a few eps ago. Well, bummer. Still holding out for the possibility that there’s more to it, but things aren’t looking great...

Oh dear, King Cyrus was murdered, and the Kazarussians are demanding their heir. Which really sucks for the kid, and Jane and Weller try to protect him, but he’s determined to go and to make things better for his fellow Kazarussians. And lbr, to have to go become king is not the worst thing??  

Wow Patterson and Zapata actually went to Reade to warn him about Hirst. I don’t know why that surprises me, but it does. I would have done some more surveillance or something first? But anyway he is really not taking it well, and kinda attacks both of them a bit over it. And wait he’s known Hirst since he was in Quantico??? That’s news to me.  And not good news, either. Please don’t be dirty, Reade. Please…

Jeller are recovering at home after a pretty damn rough day. Jane has changed her mind about finding her daughter-- she wants her just to have a happy, stable life, and that willl be far easier if she never knows Jane exists. And he just hugs her bc what can you do to make that pain better? Nothing, that’s what. She’s going to mourn her connection with her daughter for the rest of her life and ugh it just really sucks

Oh no a time jump, nothing good ever follows a time jump. And oh shit it’s Berlin. Weller’s having no luck with a rude hotel employee, which I find super unbelievable because a) he’s front desk staff at a fancy hotel, b) the person asking him for help is a man clearly traumatised about his missing wife, and c) he’s German. Him being rude makes no sense. But it does give this girl a cool opening to come help Weller out, and man I am jealous of her German speaking skills. Like I said earlier, it’s not easy!! But wait, there’s more. The girl is not only American, but she’s looking for Jane. Her mother, Jane. And oh Weller, you stupid, stupid boy. You foolish, well-meaning idiot. I am sure that your reasons for not telling Jane about this are all purely to protect her (although I also suspect you’re trying to protect yourself from her leaving you again) but dude. DUDE. This is not the kind of secret you should ever keep, and honestly if Jane leaves your ass when she finds out the truth I’m gonna be on her side of the split. Ugh, my stupid son when will you ever LEARN

[phooll123]

New top story from Time: ‘I Didn’t Think We’d Get Out Like That.’ Veterans Have Mixed Feelings As U.S. Withdraws Troops From Afghanistan

Most veterans of the 18-year war in Afghanistan wouldn’t have predicted this was how the fightback after the attacks of 9/11 would end: with the U.S. President calling the conflict a waste of American blood and treasure, and a U.S. peace deal with the Taliban forcing Afghan officials to sit down with the militants and discuss dismantling a government the U.S. helped build.

The long-awaited U.S.-Taliban deal to end the war, signed on Feb. 29, has not had a smooth start. Days after it was penned, the militant group attacked Afghan forces in the south of the country, apparently over the Afghan government’s initial refusal to release 5,000 prisoners, a condition written into the deal before intra-Afghan talks can start. U.S. forces in Afghanistan, which have long provided air support to Afghan troops, bombed Taliban positions in response. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has since agreed to release some of those prisoners, according to the U.S. Secretary of State, but it’s not clear how many, or if it’s enough to get both sides to show up for talks.

The country’s leadership remains in a steady state of political crisis. On Monday, there were two separate Afghan presidential inaugurations held in the capital city, Kabul: one ceremony for Ghani and one for the other claimant to the presidency, his rival Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who has rejected last September’s election results claiming rampant voting fraud.

President Donald Trump has shown no sign of souring on the agreement, calling the Taliban “warriors” in remarks to supporters last week, and even conceding the militants may one day take the country back from the Afghan government. “You can only hold somebody’s hand for so long…. It’s not supposed to happen that way, but it possibly will,” he told reporters Friday at the White House. And though it’s not certain when or if the Taliban will sit down with the Afghan government, on Monday U.S. forces spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett announced the U.S. will draw its troop numbers down from 13,000 to 8,600 in the next 135 days, per its agreement with the militant group.

Trump’s embrace of the Taliban has landed like a gut punch to some of the men and women whose lives have been changed forever by the war. Even for veterans who think the U.S. should get out of Afghanistan, it looks a lot like Washington is backing the people who plunged Afghanistan back into the middle ages in the 1990s, harbored al-Qaeda as it plotted the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, and killed thousands of American troops since, instead of backing a modern Afghan government that holds elections, and allows women to vote, work outside the home, and ditch veils if they so choose.

The fact that the deal hit so many roadblocks in so few days has also fed a sense of numbness among veterans, deepening the sentiment that the war wasn’t worth fighting, as most veterans said in a Pew poll last July.

“I wanted to get out, but I didn’t think we’d get out like that, handing the guys we fought for the last 18 years a victory,” said one long-serving U.S. veteran who recently left Afghanistan after multiple tours, who requested anonymity because he may return again to work there.

Since the signing of the peace deal, he said he’s been having painful discussions with other soldiers who’d fought the Taliban since 2001. “Saying these people who have been committing these horrible crimes, they really aren’t so bad…It’s hard for us to get our heads around,” he said.

It’s also a confusing time for those who lost loved ones in the war. “For surviving families, it’s important that they understand that their loved ones’ life and service had meaning and purpose,” says Bonnie Carroll, who runs the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, better known as TAPS, based in Arlington, Virginia. That purpose, she says, includes knowing that their sacrifice helped create a stable country where “the next generation grow up with opportunities for education, employment and security.”

Veterans of the Afghan war have previously fallen into a couple major camps: the “Let’s get out, and walk away from sunk costs. Don’t throw good money after bad” group; and the smaller but more vocal camp, which includes retired Gen. and former CIA Director David Petraeus, who believes the U.S. must keep an enduring military presence in Afghanistan, like it has in Germany and South Korea, as a backstop against another 9/11.

A former CIA officer who served in Afghanistan and took part in these debates says previous military commanders like Petraeus have argued that an enduring presence requires roughly 10,000 troops at the cost of tens of billions a year. The new deal calls for a drawdown to 8,600 by the fall, a number deemed sufficient by the current U.S. commander in Afghanistan Gen. Scott Miller, and zero within 14 months, if conditions are met.

Those conditions include how the Taliban handles terrorists in territory it controls and whether it takes part in intra-Afghan talks, according to senior administration officials briefing reporters anonymously, as a condition of sharing the information. But they are are laid out in the deal’s classified annexes, and have been criticized by U.S. lawmakers who have read them as putting too much trust in the Taliban.

Some high-level veterans agree. One former senior U.S. commander praised the deal for breaking the status quo of a never-ending war, but worried that “the Taliban are getting too much legitimacy and at the expense of the Afghan government,” and that the deal puts too much trust in the Taliban to keep up their end of the bargain after U.S. troops have left. “Actually pulling out all our troops in 14 months’ time leaves us with no leverage and severely limits our ability to verify whatever conditions are in the agreement or claims that are made by the Taliban.”

Others welcome the drawdown. Getting down from current troop levels of about 13,000 to 8,600 is heading in the right direction, says the former CIA officer, who counts himself firmly in “get out now” camp. “The young boys who are dying there now don’t even remember 9/11. They were one or two when it happened,” he says. “I don’t like the idea of we’re just going to stay forever, on an ill-defined mission which can only be described as trying to keep a lid on the place so it doesn’t become a staging ground for another big terrorist attack on the West.”

Few would argue that Washington’s goals in Afghanistan are clear. The conflict started off with a straightforward enough mission in 2001 to topple the Taliban and capture or kill the Al-Qaeda terrorists it harbored, key among them, 9/11 plotter Osama bin Laden. U.S. special operations forces got Bin Laden inside Pakistan in 2011. But in that decade, the U.S. campaign morphed into an expensive and ultimately unsuccessful operation of nation-building, fueled by a mixture of hubris, good will and that old-fashioned American can-do spirit. Allied troop strength in Afghanistan peaked at 150,000 between 2009 to 2013. Over nearly 20 years, the U.S. has spent $876.4 billion, according to the U.S. Inspector General for Afghanistan.

Successive Afghan administrations haven’t done much to prove to Washington that the investment has been worth it. Attempts to export democracy and development there have foundered in large part due to the country’s systemic corruption, a byproduct of 40 years of war where many of its denizens have done what it takes to survive. “Leaving the country is in the best interest of the U.S. and the Afghans,” said the former soldier, who was one of the longest serving Americans in the country. “ Our presence has fueled corruption from the start, hindered civilian aid efforts, and created perverse incentives – in both countries – for the continuance of the war.”

If it has become a proverbial money pit for Washington, it has been a font of heartbreak for allied troops, with more than 3,500 US and NATO forces killed, as well as an estimated 45,000 members of the Afghan security forces lost, according to the Afghan National Security Council. Back home, U.S. troops struggle with the memories of launching counterattacks that have killed or injured some 150,000 Afghans caught in the crossfire, another figure shared with TIME by the Afghan NSC.

That’s why it was time to go, as the longtime commander, the soldier and CIA officer who served there all agree. But the former soldier hoped the U.S. would simply step away with no deal, and keep backing the Afghan allies they’d trained, at least financially. “I’m okay with the Afghans fighting for their own country and us supporting them from a distance. I’m not comfortable with us just walking away.”

“It is morally wrong to give legitimacy to an enemy that continues to murder our people,” he continues. “And it undermines our credibility around the world. Who can – or should – trust an America that cavalierly surrenders an ally like this?”

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[newstechreviews]

Most veterans of the 18-year war in Afghanistan wouldn’t have predicted this was how the fightback after the attacks of 9/11 would end: with the U.S. President calling the conflict a waste of American blood and treasure, and a U.S. peace deal with the Taliban forcing Afghan officials to sit down with the militants and discuss dismantling a government the U.S. helped build.

The long-awaited U.S.-Taliban deal to end the war, signed on Feb. 29, has not had a smooth start. Days after it was penned, the militant group attacked Afghan forces in the south of the country, apparently over the Afghan government’s initial refusal to release 5,000 prisoners, a condition written into the deal before intra-Afghan talks can start. U.S. forces in Afghanistan, which have long provided air support to Afghan troops, bombed Taliban positions in response. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has since agreed to release some of those prisoners, according to the U.S. Secretary of State, but it’s not clear how many, or if it’s enough to get both sides to show up for talks.

The country’s leadership remains in a steady state of political crisis. On Monday, there were two separate Afghan presidential inaugurations held in the capital city, Kabul: one ceremony for Ghani and one for the other claimant to the presidency, his rival Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who has rejected last September’s election results claiming rampant voting fraud.

President Donald Trump has shown no sign of souring on the agreement, calling the Taliban “warriors” in remarks to supporters last week, and even conceding the militants may one day take the country back from the Afghan government. “You can only hold somebody’s hand for so long…. It’s not supposed to happen that way, but it possibly will,” he told reporters Friday at the White House. And though it’s not certain when or if the Taliban will sit down with the Afghan government, on Monday U.S. forces spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett announced the U.S. will draw its troop numbers down from 13,000 to 8,600 in the next 135 days, per its agreement with the militant group.

Trump’s embrace of the Taliban has landed like a gut punch to some of the men and women whose lives have been changed forever by the war. Even for veterans who think the U.S. should get out of Afghanistan, it looks a lot like Washington is backing the people who plunged Afghanistan back into the middle ages in the 1990s, harbored al-Qaeda as it plotted the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, and killed thousands of American troops since, instead of backing a modern Afghan government that holds elections, and allows women to vote, work outside the home, and ditch veils if they so choose.

The fact that the deal hit so many roadblocks in so few days has also fed a sense of numbness among veterans, deepening the sentiment that the war wasn’t worth fighting, as most veterans said in a Pew poll last July.

“I wanted to get out, but I didn’t think we’d get out like that, handing the guys we fought for the last 18 years a victory,” said one long-serving U.S. veteran who recently left Afghanistan after multiple tours, who requested anonymity because he may return again to work there.

Since the signing of the peace deal, he said he’s been having painful discussions with other soldiers who’d fought the Taliban since 2001. “Saying these people who have been committing these horrible crimes, they really aren’t so bad…It’s hard for us to get our heads around,” he said.

It’s also a confusing time for those who lost loved ones in the war. “For surviving families, it’s important that they understand that their loved ones’ life and service had meaning and purpose,” says Bonnie Carroll, who runs the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, better known as TAPS, based in Arlington, Virginia. That purpose, she says, includes knowing that their sacrifice helped create a stable country where “the next generation grow up with opportunities for education, employment and security.”

Veterans of the Afghan war have previously fallen into a couple major camps: the “Let’s get out, and walk away from sunk costs. Don’t throw good money after bad” group; and the smaller but more vocal camp, which includes retired Gen. and former CIA Director David Petraeus, who believes the U.S. must keep an enduring military presence in Afghanistan, like it has in Germany and South Korea, as a backstop against another 9/11.

A former CIA officer who served in Afghanistan and took part in these debates says previous military commanders like Petraeus have argued that an enduring presence requires roughly 10,000 troops at the cost of tens of billions a year. The new deal calls for a drawdown to 8,600 by the fall, a number deemed sufficient by the current U.S. commander in Afghanistan Gen. Scott Miller, and zero within 14 months, if conditions are met.

Those conditions include how the Taliban handles terrorists in territory it controls and whether it takes part in intra-Afghan talks, according to senior administration officials briefing reporters anonymously, as a condition of sharing the information. But they are are laid out in the deal’s classified annexes, and have been criticized by U.S. lawmakers who have read them as putting too much trust in the Taliban.

Some high-level veterans agree. One former senior U.S. commander praised the deal for breaking the status quo of a never-ending war, but worried that “the Taliban are getting too much legitimacy and at the expense of the Afghan government,” and that the deal puts too much trust in the Taliban to keep up their end of the bargain after U.S. troops have left. “Actually pulling out all our troops in 14 months’ time leaves us with no leverage and severely limits our ability to verify whatever conditions are in the agreement or claims that are made by the Taliban.”

Others welcome the drawdown. Getting down from current troop levels of about 13,000 to 8,600 is heading in the right direction, says the former CIA officer, who counts himself firmly in “get out now” camp. “The young boys who are dying there now don’t even remember 9/11. They were one or two when it happened,” he says. “I don’t like the idea of we’re just going to stay forever, on an ill-defined mission which can only be described as trying to keep a lid on the place so it doesn’t become a staging ground for another big terrorist attack on the West.”

Few would argue that Washington’s goals in Afghanistan are clear. The conflict started off with a straightforward enough mission in 2001 to topple the Taliban and capture or kill the Al-Qaeda terrorists it harbored, key among them, 9/11 plotter Osama bin Laden. U.S. special operations forces got Bin Laden inside Pakistan in 2011. But in that decade, the U.S. campaign morphed into an expensive and ultimately unsuccessful operation of nation-building, fueled by a mixture of hubris, good will and that old-fashioned American can-do spirit. Allied troop strength in Afghanistan peaked at 150,000 between 2009 to 2013. Over nearly 20 years, the U.S. has spent $876.4 billion, according to the U.S. Inspector General for Afghanistan.

Successive Afghan administrations haven’t done much to prove to Washington that the investment has been worth it. Attempts to export democracy and development there have foundered in large part due to the country’s systemic corruption, a byproduct of 40 years of war where many of its denizens have done what it takes to survive. “Leaving the country is in the best interest of the U.S. and the Afghans,” said the former soldier, who was one of the longest serving Americans in the country. “ Our presence has fueled corruption from the start, hindered civilian aid efforts, and created perverse incentives – in both countries – for the continuance of the war.”

If it has become a proverbial money pit for Washington, it has been a font of heartbreak for allied troops, with more than 3,500 US and NATO forces killed, as well as an estimated 45,000 members of the Afghan security forces lost, according to the Afghan National Security Council. Back home, U.S. troops struggle with the memories of launching counterattacks that have killed or injured some 150,000 Afghans caught in the crossfire, another figure shared with TIME by the Afghan NSC.

That’s why it was time to go, as the longtime commander, the soldier and CIA officer who served there all agree. But the former soldier hoped the U.S. would simply step away with no deal, and keep backing the Afghan allies they’d trained, at least financially. “I’m okay with the Afghans fighting for their own country and us supporting them from a distance. I’m not comfortable with us just walking away.”

“It is morally wrong to give legitimacy to an enemy that continues to murder our people,” he continues. “And it undermines our credibility around the world. Who can – or should – trust an America that cavalierly surrenders an ally like this?”

[uniteordie-usa]

Libya's Slave Auctions And African Genocide: What Hillary Knew

http://uniteordiemedia.com/libyas-slave-auctions-and-african-genocide-what-hillary-knew/ http://uniteordiemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/we-came-we-saw-he-died_1203964_m-600x338.gif Libya's Slave Auctions And African Genocide: What Hillary Knew A new CNN investigation has uncovered a network of slave markets operating in warehouses in various cities across Libya six years after NATO-led intervention in the country toppled the government of Muammar Gaddafi in support of US and UK backed rebels. And not only did CNN confirm the presence ...

A new CNN investigation has uncovered a network of slave markets operating in warehouses in various cities across Libya six years after NATO-led intervention in the country toppled the government of Muammar Gaddafi in support of US and UK backed rebels. And not only did CNN confirm the presence of slave auctions where human beings are being sold for as little as $400 in “liberated” Libya, but CNN’s crew was actually able to film a live auction in progress, while also gathering the testimonies of multiple victims.

Though CNN’s footage and accompanying report is shocking, such practices have been quietly documented for years, and clear warnings were issued starting in early 2011 that Libya’s black as well as migrant population would be the first to fall victim at the hands of the Islamist Libyan rebels that NATO’s war empowered. From the outset critics of Western intervention in Libya loudly sounded the alarm of a genocide against black Libyans in progress committed by the very rebels the US, UK, France, and Gulf allies were arming – a fact so well-known that then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was personally briefed and warned on the matter.

Screenshot of CNN’s investigative video uncovering modern day slave auctions in post-Gaddafi Libya.

The Dangerous Myth of Gaddafi’s “African Mercenaries” 

Among the foremost of these early critics at the time, Maximilian Forte, Associate Professor at Montreal’s Concordia University, published a 2012 book which exhaustively documented racially motivated crimes which came early and often during the armed uprising. His book, Slouching Towards Sirte: NATO’s War on Libya and Africa, contains essential summary context laying out the role that international media played in 2011 and after, including CNN itself, in fueling the xenophobic campaign to scapegoat Libya’s over one million strong black population as “pro-Gaddafi mercenaries”.

According to Professor Forte:

Racial fear and xenophobia were at the very crux of the first public calls for Western military intervention, and were the basis for the first utterance of the need for a “no-fly zone” … The myth of the “African mercenary” was useful for the Libyan opposition, the NTC [National Transitional Council] and the militias, to insist that this was a war between “Gaddafi and the Libyan people,” as if he had no domestic support at all…

As Patrick Cockburn explained, the insurgents’ “explanation for the large pro-Gaddafi forces was that they were all mercenaries, mostly from black Africa, whose only motive was money.”

Gaddafi’s ‘pan-Africanist’ policies such as aggressive support for the creation of the African Union (in 2002), and a relatively open immigration policy allowing for the influx of sub-Saharan African migrants to work on Gaddafi’s massive building projects, stirred resentment and discontent within broader Arab Libyan society in the decade leading up to the 2011 war. This was the historical background which set the stage for the anti-Gaddafi rebels’ extraordinary claim that sub-Saharan “foreign mercenaries” were being used en masse by Gaddafi to target protesters (later proven false).

And these historic ethnic and racial dynamics were well understood by the US government long before official support to Libyan militant groups began – militants which were not only shown to have al-Qaeda links, but which declared “open season” on all black Libyans and migrant workers during the revolution. As the CIA’s own historical analysis of Libya’s internal dynamics spells out:

QADHAFI in 1998 adopted a decade-long pan-African policy that enabled large numbers of sub-Saharan migrants to enter Libya without visas to work in the construction and agricultural industries. Although sub-Saharan Africans provided a cheap labor source, they were poorly treated and were subjected to periodic mass expulsions. By the mid-2000s, domestic animosity toward African migrants…

Similar to later developments in Syria, the media would uncritically echo whatever the “freedom fighting” rebels would feed it, thus this black foreign mercenary trope became an unquestioned reality spread from rebel propagandists to the Western public. Libyan opposition members even began claiming to be victims of wild attacks by roving bands of machete-wielding pro-Gaddafi blacks wearing tell-tale yellow hard hats – a symbol which also falsely began to be associated with “Gaddafi’s savage mercenaries” – resulting in subsequent mass arrests and executions of innocent black migrant construction workers.

CNN Spread the “Black Mercenary” Lie

The end result would of course be the widespread targeting and scapegoating of an entire ethnic population within Libya. This is demonstrated, for example, in the most well-known example of Tawergha, an entire town of 30,000 black and “dark-skinned” Libyans which vanished by August 2011 after its takeover by NATO-backed NTC Misratan brigades.

A widely circulated photo from the Libyan war which shows rebels threatening to shoot a black man.

But it is important to remember that CNN itself at the time regularly promoted the false “black mercenary” narrative which helped fuel and excuse such atrocities, even though it is now much belatedly investigating and decrying Libya’s current migrant slave auctions, while leaving out the essential context which enabled such horrors in the first place. For example, the following February 2011 CNN reporting relied on unnamed opposition sources during the earliest days of the conflict to say:

Residents said hundreds of mercenaries from sub-Saharan Africa had been killed or captured while fighting for Gadhafi, but much of the army appears to have gone over to anti-government forces.

And a separate CNN article from the same month – though acknowledging that no CNN journalists were even inside the country – still uncritically reported:

Clashes broke out between a large crowd of demonstrators and people who appeared to be African mercenaries in the center of the city, according to an activist.

Yet another broadcast segment from February 2011 – the clip of which appears to have since been deleted from CNN’s site (but which is available on YouTube), asks the question: in Libya “just who is doing the dirty work?” – while answering that Gaddafi imported Chadian and Sudanese mercenaries to crack down on civilian protesters.

And those few examples are but a tiny sampling of CNN’s consistent spreading the dangerous myth throughout the early stages of the conflict – to say nothing of how ubiquitous the false rebel claims became among mainstream media generally.

US-backed Rebels and Ethnic Genocide

One of the few international correspondents to actually report the truth in real time while writing from inside Libya was The Independent’s (UK) Patrick Cockburn. In an August 2011 story he wrote as if attempting to warn the world about the future war crimes to come at the hands of the US-backed rebels:

The rotting bodies of 30 men, almost all black and many handcuffed, slaughtered as they lay on stretchers and even in an ambulance in central Tripoli, are an ominous foretaste of what might be Libya’s future. The incoming regime makes pious statements about taking no revenge on pro-Gaddafi forces, but this stops short of protecting those who can be labelled mercenaries. Any Libyan with a black skin accused of fighting for the old regime may have a poor chance of survival.

Subsequent stories of widespread torture and executions of black Libyans included a 2012 report in UK media which involved anti-Gaddafi “revolutionaries” filming themselves torturing black prisoners, making them eat the former Libyan national flag.

If reporters like Cockburn and even prominent human rights organizations (see Human Rights Watch, September 2011, Libya: Stop Arbitrary Arrests of Black Africans) understood what was happening months prior to height of NATO’s military campaign in support of the rebels, which ended in the brutal torture and field execution of Gaddafi, then what did one of the prime US architects of the war, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton know and when did she know it?

Then Secretary of State Clinton posing with Libyan rebel commanders.

What Hillary Knew

The answer lies in a March 27, 2011, intelligence brief on Libya published by WikiLeaks. The brief, which was made public in 2015 as part of a large batch of Hillary emails released by the State Department, was sent by long time close adviser to the Clinton family and Hillary’s personal intelligence gatherer, Sidney Blumenthal, and contains clear reference to rebels summarily executing “all foreign mercenaries” – which had already become the common euphemism for black Libyans then being targeted by the US-supported rebels.

Citing a rebel commander source “speaking in strict confidence” Blumenthal reports to Hillary:

Under attack from allied Air and Naval forces, the Libyan Army troops have begun to desert to the rebel side in increasing numbers. The rebels are making an effort to greet these troops as fellow Libyans, in an effort to encourage additional defections.

  Source Comment: Speaking in strict confidence, one rebel commander stated that his troops continue to summarily execute all foreign mercenaries captured in the fighting…

WikiLeaks 

✔@wikileaks

Hillary Emails Reveal True Motive for Libya Intervention | Foreign Policy Journal

Newly disclosed emails show that Libya’s plan to create a gold-backed currency to compete with the euro and dollar was a motive for NATO’s intervention.

Hillary Emails show UK, French, Egyptian special forces were secretly in Libya providing arms to “protestors” http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/01/06/new-hillary-emails-reveal-true-motive-for-libya-intervention/ …

7:46 AM – Mar 25, 2016

And further interesting is that the line immediately following the acknowledgement of war crimes against “foreign mercenaries” indicates that a long time CIA supported Libyan exile was then taking command of the very militants committing those summary executions.

The email continues:

At the same time Colonel Khalifa Haftar has reportedly joined the rebel command structure, in an effort to help organization the rebel forces.

Khalifa Haftar has since 2011 become a mainstay in Libya’s post-Gaddafi chaos, heading up one of the three to four governments (at any given time) claiming authority in the war-torn country. Haftar has been widely acknowledged as the “CIA’s man” during his two decade long exile in the US, as a BBC profile explained: “His proximity to the CIA’s headquarters in Langley hinted at a close relationship with US intelligence services, who gave their backing to several attempts to assassinate Gaddafi.”

CIA’s Khalifa Haftar and Mass Executions

Meanwhile, Haftar is currently being eyed by international prosecutors for continuing to commit war crimes in Libya. One month ago The Guardian reported, “Ex-CIA asset Khalifa Haftar, due to meet Italian officials in Rome, ordered soldiers to kill prisoners, according to legal experts.” The Guardian cites video evidence which proves he continues to be “complicit in calling for extrajudicial killings.”

And yesterday Al Jazeera reported that a formal suit has been filed against Haftar at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “carrying out mass executions and torture.” Another recent Guardian report which details torture and rape being carried out against prisoners held under Haftar’s militia alliance, includes the following eyewitness account of the torture of African migrant detainees: “There was a black man, a migrant. In the evening, they threw him into one of our cells: ‘You rape this guy, otherwise, you’re dead!’”

Then Secretary of State Clinton understood in early 2011 what was happening concerning the rebel genocidal targeting of black Libyans and African migrants, yet pushed to arm the rebels and overthrow Gaddafi anyway. She was given the intelligence brief which gave evidence this was happening on March 27, 2011. But even without such a classified intelligence report personally delivered to her, such war crimes were so well known that a full month prior on February 28, 2011, Al Jazeera could publish the following story entitled, African Migrants Targetted in Libya:

As nations evacuate their citizens from the violence gripping Libya, many African migrant workers are targeted because they are suspected of being mercenaries hired by Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader.

Dozens of workers from sub-Saharan Africa are feared killed, and hundreds are in hiding, as angry mobs of anti-government protesters hunt down “black African mercenaries,” according to witnesses.

“No Regrets”

But even years later, as such race-based war crimes have now been exhaustively documented, Hillary has consistently indicated that she has no regrets. Though her beloved Libyan rebels, legitimized and empowered through broad support from the West, were literally killing people based on the color of their skin, not a single one has ever been convicted in a court of law or punished for their crimes.

Moreover, Hillary has never so much as hinted at the problem, though her public stature would allow her a world-wide platform to speak against atrocities at any time, possibly preventing further crimes. Instead, she has simply chosen to conclude her role in the tragic story of Libya with her crazed and gleeful declaration of “we came, we saw, he died.”

[phooll123]

Most veterans of the 18-year war in Afghanistan wouldn’t have predicted this was how the fightback after the attacks of 9/11 would end: with the U.S. President calling the conflict a waste of American blood and treasure, and a U.S. peace deal with the Taliban forcing Afghan officials to sit down with the militants and discuss dismantling a government the U.S. helped build.

The long-awaited U.S.-Taliban deal to end the war, signed on Feb. 29, has not had a smooth start. Days after it was penned, the militant group attacked Afghan forces in the south of the country, apparently over the Afghan government’s initial refusal to release 5,000 prisoners, a condition written into the deal before intra-Afghan talks can start. U.S. forces in Afghanistan, which have long provided air support to Afghan troops, bombed Taliban positions in response. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has since agreed to release some of those prisoners, according to the U.S. Secretary of State, but it’s not clear how many, or if it’s enough to get both sides to show up for talks.

The country’s leadership remains in a steady state of political crisis. On Monday, there were two separate Afghan presidential inaugurations held in the capital city, Kabul: one ceremony for Ghani and one for the other claimant to the presidency, his rival Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who has rejected last September’s election results claiming rampant voting fraud.

President Donald Trump has shown no sign of souring on the agreement, calling the Taliban “warriors” in remarks to supporters last week, and even conceding the militants may one day take the country back from the Afghan government. “You can only hold somebody’s hand for so long…. It’s not supposed to happen that way, but it possibly will,” he told reporters Friday at the White House. And though it’s not certain when or if the Taliban will sit down with the Afghan government, on Monday U.S. forces spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett announced the U.S. will draw its troop numbers down from 13,000 to 8,600 in the next 135 days, per its agreement with the militant group.

Trump’s embrace of the Taliban has landed like a gut punch to some of the men and women whose lives have been changed forever by the war. Even for veterans who think the U.S. should get out of Afghanistan, it looks a lot like Washington is backing the people who plunged Afghanistan back into the middle ages in the 1990s, harbored al-Qaeda as it plotted the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, and killed thousands of American troops since, instead of backing a modern Afghan government that holds elections, and allows women to vote, work outside the home, and ditch veils if they so choose.

The fact that the deal hit so many roadblocks in so few days has also fed a sense of numbness among veterans, deepening the sentiment that the war wasn’t worth fighting, as most veterans said in a Pew poll last July.

“I wanted to get out, but I didn’t think we’d get out like that, handing the guys we fought for the last 18 years a victory,” said one long-serving U.S. veteran who recently left Afghanistan after multiple tours, who requested anonymity because he may return again to work there.

Since the signing of the peace deal, he said he’s been having painful discussions with other soldiers who’d fought the Taliban since 2001. “Saying these people who have been committing these horrible crimes, they really aren’t so bad…It’s hard for us to get our heads around,” he said.

It’s also a confusing time for those who lost loved ones in the war. “For surviving families, it’s important that they understand that their loved ones’ life and service had meaning and purpose,” says Bonnie Carroll, who runs the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, better known as TAPS, based in Arlington, Virginia. That purpose, she says, includes knowing that their sacrifice helped create a stable country where “the next generation grow up with opportunities for education, employment and security.”

Veterans of the Afghan war have previously fallen into a couple major camps: the “Let’s get out, and walk away from sunk costs. Don’t throw good money after bad” group; and the smaller but more vocal camp, which includes retired Gen. and former CIA Director David Petraeus, who believes the U.S. must keep an enduring military presence in Afghanistan, like it has in Germany and South Korea, as a backstop against another 9/11.

A former CIA officer who served in Afghanistan and took part in these debates says previous military commanders like Petraeus have argued that an enduring presence requires roughly 10,000 troops at the cost of tens of billions a year. The new deal calls for a drawdown to 8,600 by the fall, a number deemed sufficient by the current U.S. commander in Afghanistan Gen. Scott Miller, and zero within 14 months, if conditions are met.

Those conditions include how the Taliban handles terrorists in territory it controls and whether it takes part in intra-Afghan talks, according to senior administration officials briefing reporters anonymously, as a condition of sharing the information. But they are are laid out in the deal’s classified annexes, and have been criticized by U.S. lawmakers who have read them as putting too much trust in the Taliban.

Some high-level veterans agree. One former senior U.S. commander praised the deal for breaking the status quo of a never-ending war, but worried that “the Taliban are getting too much legitimacy and at the expense of the Afghan government,” and that the deal puts too much trust in the Taliban to keep up their end of the bargain after U.S. troops have left. “Actually pulling out all our troops in 14 months’ time leaves us with no leverage and severely limits our ability to verify whatever conditions are in the agreement or claims that are made by the Taliban.”

Others welcome the drawdown. Getting down from current troop levels of about 13,000 to 8,600 is heading in the right direction, says the former CIA officer, who counts himself firmly in “get out now” camp. “The young boys who are dying there now don’t even remember 9/11. They were one or two when it happened,” he says. “I don’t like the idea of we’re just going to stay forever, on an ill-defined mission which can only be described as trying to keep a lid on the place so it doesn’t become a staging ground for another big terrorist attack on the West.”

Few would argue that Washington’s goals in Afghanistan are clear. The conflict started off with a straightforward enough mission in 2001 to topple the Taliban and capture or kill the Al-Qaeda terrorists it harbored, key among them, 9/11 plotter Osama bin Laden. U.S. special operations forces got Bin Laden inside Pakistan in 2011. But in that decade, the U.S. campaign morphed into an expensive and ultimately unsuccessful operation of nation-building, fueled by a mixture of hubris, good will and that old-fashioned American can-do spirit. Allied troop strength in Afghanistan peaked at 150,000 between 2009 to 2013. Over nearly 20 years, the U.S. has spent $876.4 billion, according to the U.S. Inspector General for Afghanistan.

Successive Afghan administrations haven’t done much to prove to Washington that the investment has been worth it. Attempts to export democracy and development there have foundered in large part due to the country’s systemic corruption, a byproduct of 40 years of war where many of its denizens have done what it takes to survive. “Leaving the country is in the best interest of the U.S. and the Afghans,” said the former soldier, who was one of the longest serving Americans in the country. “ Our presence has fueled corruption from the start, hindered civilian aid efforts, and created perverse incentives – in both countries – for the continuance of the war.”

If it has become a proverbial money pit for Washington, it has been a font of heartbreak for allied troops, with more than 3,500 US and NATO forces killed, as well as an estimated 45,000 members of the Afghan security forces lost, according to the Afghan National Security Council. Back home, U.S. troops struggle with the memories of launching counterattacks that have killed or injured some 150,000 Afghans caught in the crossfire, another figure shared with TIME by the Afghan NSC.

That’s why it was time to go, as the longtime commander, the soldier and CIA officer who served there all agree. But the former soldier hoped the U.S. would simply step away with no deal, and keep backing the Afghan allies they’d trained, at least financially. “I’m okay with the Afghans fighting for their own country and us supporting them from a distance. I’m not comfortable with us just walking away.”

“It is morally wrong to give legitimacy to an enemy that continues to murder our people,” he continues. “And it undermines our credibility around the world. Who can – or should – trust an America that cavalierly surrenders an ally like this?”

[phooll123]

New top story from Time: ‘I Didn’t Think We’d Get Out Like That.’ Veterans Have Mixed Feelings As U.S. Withdraws Troops From Afghanistan

Most veterans of the 18-year war in Afghanistan wouldn’t have predicted this was how the fightback after the attacks of 9/11 would end: with the U.S. President calling the conflict a waste of American blood and treasure, and a U.S. peace deal with the Taliban forcing Afghan officials to sit down with the militants and discuss dismantling a government the U.S. helped build.

The long-awaited U.S.-Taliban deal to end the war, signed on Feb. 29, has not had a smooth start. Days after it was penned, the militant group attacked Afghan forces in the south of the country, apparently over the Afghan government’s initial refusal to release 5,000 prisoners, a condition written into the deal before intra-Afghan talks can start. U.S. forces in Afghanistan, which have long provided air support to Afghan troops, bombed Taliban positions in response. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has since agreed to release some of those prisoners, according to the U.S. Secretary of State, but it’s not clear how many, or if it’s enough to get both sides to show up for talks.

The country’s leadership remains in a steady state of political crisis. On Monday, there were two separate Afghan presidential inaugurations held in the capital city, Kabul: one ceremony for Ghani and one for the other claimant to the presidency, his rival Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who has rejected last September’s election results claiming rampant voting fraud.

President Donald Trump has shown no sign of souring on the agreement, calling the Taliban “warriors” in remarks to supporters last week, and even conceding the militants may one day take the country back from the Afghan government. “You can only hold somebody’s hand for so long…. It’s not supposed to happen that way, but it possibly will,” he told reporters Friday at the White House. And though it’s not certain when or if the Taliban will sit down with the Afghan government, on Monday U.S. forces spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett announced the U.S. will draw its troop numbers down from 13,000 to 8,600 in the next 135 days, per its agreement with the militant group.

Trump’s embrace of the Taliban has landed like a gut punch to some of the men and women whose lives have been changed forever by the war. Even for veterans who think the U.S. should get out of Afghanistan, it looks a lot like Washington is backing the people who plunged Afghanistan back into the middle ages in the 1990s, harbored al-Qaeda as it plotted the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, and killed thousands of American troops since, instead of backing a modern Afghan government that holds elections, and allows women to vote, work outside the home, and ditch veils if they so choose.

The fact that the deal hit so many roadblocks in so few days has also fed a sense of numbness among veterans, deepening the sentiment that the war wasn’t worth fighting, as most veterans said in a Pew poll last July.

“I wanted to get out, but I didn’t think we’d get out like that, handing the guys we fought for the last 18 years a victory,” said one long-serving U.S. veteran who recently left Afghanistan after multiple tours, who requested anonymity because he may return again to work there.

Since the signing of the peace deal, he said he’s been having painful discussions with other soldiers who’d fought the Taliban since 2001. “Saying these people who have been committing these horrible crimes, they really aren’t so bad…It’s hard for us to get our heads around,” he said.

It’s also a confusing time for those who lost loved ones in the war. “For surviving families, it’s important that they understand that their loved ones’ life and service had meaning and purpose,” says Bonnie Carroll, who runs the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, better known as TAPS, based in Arlington, Virginia. That purpose, she says, includes knowing that their sacrifice helped create a stable country where “the next generation grow up with opportunities for education, employment and security.”

Veterans of the Afghan war have previously fallen into a couple major camps: the “Let’s get out, and walk away from sunk costs. Don’t throw good money after bad” group; and the smaller but more vocal camp, which includes retired Gen. and former CIA Director David Petraeus, who believes the U.S. must keep an enduring military presence in Afghanistan, like it has in Germany and South Korea, as a backstop against another 9/11.

A former CIA officer who served in Afghanistan and took part in these debates says previous military commanders like Petraeus have argued that an enduring presence requires roughly 10,000 troops at the cost of tens of billions a year. The new deal calls for a drawdown to 8,600 by the fall, a number deemed sufficient by the current U.S. commander in Afghanistan Gen. Scott Miller, and zero within 14 months, if conditions are met.

Those conditions include how the Taliban handles terrorists in territory it controls and whether it takes part in intra-Afghan talks, according to senior administration officials briefing reporters anonymously, as a condition of sharing the information. But they are are laid out in the deal’s classified annexes, and have been criticized by U.S. lawmakers who have read them as putting too much trust in the Taliban.

Some high-level veterans agree. One former senior U.S. commander praised the deal for breaking the status quo of a never-ending war, but worried that “the Taliban are getting too much legitimacy and at the expense of the Afghan government,” and that the deal puts too much trust in the Taliban to keep up their end of the bargain after U.S. troops have left. “Actually pulling out all our troops in 14 months’ time leaves us with no leverage and severely limits our ability to verify whatever conditions are in the agreement or claims that are made by the Taliban.”

Others welcome the drawdown. Getting down from current troop levels of about 13,000 to 8,600 is heading in the right direction, says the former CIA officer, who counts himself firmly in “get out now” camp. “The young boys who are dying there now don’t even remember 9/11. They were one or two when it happened,” he says. “I don’t like the idea of we’re just going to stay forever, on an ill-defined mission which can only be described as trying to keep a lid on the place so it doesn’t become a staging ground for another big terrorist attack on the West.”

Few would argue that Washington’s goals in Afghanistan are clear. The conflict started off with a straightforward enough mission in 2001 to topple the Taliban and capture or kill the Al-Qaeda terrorists it harbored, key among them, 9/11 plotter Osama bin Laden. U.S. special operations forces got Bin Laden inside Pakistan in 2011. But in that decade, the U.S. campaign morphed into an expensive and ultimately unsuccessful operation of nation-building, fueled by a mixture of hubris, good will and that old-fashioned American can-do spirit. Allied troop strength in Afghanistan peaked at 150,000 between 2009 to 2013. Over nearly 20 years, the U.S. has spent $876.4 billion, according to the U.S. Inspector General for Afghanistan.

Successive Afghan administrations haven’t done much to prove to Washington that the investment has been worth it. Attempts to export democracy and development there have foundered in large part due to the country’s systemic corruption, a byproduct of 40 years of war where many of its denizens have done what it takes to survive. “Leaving the country is in the best interest of the U.S. and the Afghans,” said the former soldier, who was one of the longest serving Americans in the country. “ Our presence has fueled corruption from the start, hindered civilian aid efforts, and created perverse incentives – in both countries – for the continuance of the war.”

If it has become a proverbial money pit for Washington, it has been a font of heartbreak for allied troops, with more than 3,500 US and NATO forces killed, as well as an estimated 45,000 members of the Afghan security forces lost, according to the Afghan National Security Council. Back home, U.S. troops struggle with the memories of launching counterattacks that have killed or injured some 150,000 Afghans caught in the crossfire, another figure shared with TIME by the Afghan NSC.

That’s why it was time to go, as the longtime commander, the soldier and CIA officer who served there all agree. But the former soldier hoped the U.S. would simply step away with no deal, and keep backing the Afghan allies they’d trained, at least financially. “I’m okay with the Afghans fighting for their own country and us supporting them from a distance. I’m not comfortable with us just walking away.”

“It is morally wrong to give legitimacy to an enemy that continues to murder our people,” he continues. “And it undermines our credibility around the world. Who can – or should – trust an America that cavalierly surrenders an ally like this?”

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