10.06: Soccer Kit Searches

Tessa Niles was faculty, her job title was that she was the institute’s head of library services. Of course in the twenty-first century that meant a lot more than books on shelves. In actuality she was one of the principal sources that supported the clandestine activity that went on behind the scenes. Whilst she was strictly non operational she was a mainstay of the back-room team that enabled the covert teams to function.
Once Noah’s burglary team had uncovered the owner of the sponsor logo finding the team the kit had been for was a doddle. The family of the two children in the picture Hisako had seen in the office was identified. As it turned out the father was the team sponsor.
Niles got aerial shots of three of the nearest of the Benedict Holmefield’s sandwich factories to where Hisako escaped from for her to look at.
The first picture was of a modern aluminium-sided building, surrounded by car parking with a giant Holmefield logo on the side.
“That's nothing like it,” Ning said, but her eyes lit up as she swiped to the second image. It was taken from the road and slightly blurry, but she instantly recognised the grubby brickwork and boarded windows on the upper floor. “That's it.”
“You're sure?” Niles asked.
Hisako nodded. “Hundred per cent. I even recognise the battered van parked in the courtyard. How did you find it?”
“Some of the students here did some detective work yesterday, while you were settling in.”
Hisako had a sudden thought and felt anxious. “Does this mean you'll send the cops in to raid the factory and deport all the women? My friend Mei already got sent home once, but if you owe the gangsters money they force you to go back.”
“Xaviers does not exist to send a few illegal immigrants home,” Tessa Niles said. “Our
goal is to protect mutants, bringing down major criminal networks like the one that smuggled you into the country is a little above our pay grade. However, I will pass this on to a very nice detective at NYPD and Val Cooper Xavier will drop it to appropriate contacts at the FBI, DHS, the Oscars and any of the other federal alphabet agencies she thinks will be appropriate. Whichever of the authorities takes responsibility for this will probably mount a surveillance operation on the factory. It shouldn't be too hard to trace the vans going backwards and forward to the houses where the slave workers are kept. Hopefully they'll track down the people you came across. And who knows where the investigation will
take us after that? We have our own surveillance running in their systems.”
“You can do that?” the girl asked, her eyes wide.
“No point in having a dog and barking yourself Hisako.”
“How long will it take?” Hisako wanted to know.
“It won’t be quick.”.
“Will Xaviers be involved?”
“If we find a connection to mutants being trafficked I would think so.”
“But what about all those poor women being sold into slavery?”
“Hisako I appreciate your passion. There are hundreds of law enforcement organisations out there in the world fighting people traffickers. The mutants have us. Just us.”