Nadja's mother (ナジャの母親 Naja no hahaoya) was an unnamed Bosnian woman and the mother of Nadja. As a result of her marriage to her abusive second husband, she sought asylum to the United States for a better life for herself and her daughter. To achieve this, she acted as an informant to the CIA for reporting on al-Qaeda fighters who used an Islamic charity as a front in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Appearance[]
She was an adult Bosnian woman with a skinny build, pale skin, and long black hair. She wore a dark-colored, long-sleeved jacket over a light-colored long-sleeved shirt, a dark-colored, floral-patterned skirt, and dark-colored loafers. When she went out in public, she donned a dark-colored hijab.
Eda Initial Stage history[]
She had never left the city in Bosnia in which she lived. During the Bosnian War, the Army of Republika Srpska's bombings killed her husband, a diplomat to the U.S., and she, her daughter Nadja, and many Bosnians were caught between Serb and Croat forces.[1] When foreign Muslim volunteers came to the Balkans to defend Bosnian Muslims, she began a relationship with one of the fighters. After the Dayton Agreement and the formation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's two entities, her new husband, an al-Qaeda affiliate, dropped his compassionate façade as soon as he married her, and he began physically abusing both her and her daughter.[2] Subsequently, she attempted to acquire asylum in the U.S. for herself and her daughter, having the latter study English to prepare for a new life there.
Balkan crisis[]
In order to increase her likelihood of being granted asylum, the Bosnian woman became an informant to the CIA and reported on her mujahid husband's group and dealings. Accordingly, her handler, Tobias, ordered her to pass the information to a female contact, Eda, who would meet her at the market every three days. To confirm the agent's identity, she was to establish the first contact by reciting a code phrase, to which Eda would respond with the matching answer.[3] Additionally, Tobias ordered the mother to prolong her meetings so that Eda would draw suspicion to result in the agent's capture. At the same time, the mother worked with and tipped off the collaborator about both the CIA and the Islamic extremists' movements.[2]
On the first day of contact, at the marketplace, the mother saw Eda and told her the code phrase, "a dog on a leash," to which Eda correctly answered, "does not catch prey." Relieved, she was glad and mentioned the CIA, causing Eda to abruptly cut her off and warn her to be discreet. Walking with the woman, Eda asked for the information that she had, but the woman stated that she needed to buy food first before divulging anything. Hearing Eda angrily whisper to her to give her the info, the mother nonchalantly brushed off her worry and picked out some fruit. Annoyed with her behavior, the CIA agent grabbed the contact's arm, reminding her that they were not trying to have fun, also threatening to leave if she would not provide any info. Smiling with relief, she asked Eda if she was a person of influence, slipping her a piece of paper. Right away, she quickly and quietly left the area as Eda was berated by an angry Bosnian man.[3]
The mother and Eda in public
Three days later, at the marketplace for their second meeting, the mother discreetly gave Eda an envelope and left. Another three days later, she gave the agent another envelope and returned to her house, unaware that one of her husband's men was spying on her movements. Entering her place, she announced her presence to her daughter Nadja, who happily greeted her in turn. Remarking that it was late, the mother informed her that she would make dinner soon, prompting the young girl to offer her help. Politely declining her help, her mother encouraged her to study. Hesitant, Nadja was worried about her stepfather, but her mother assured her that they would be all right, reminding her to call her stepfather "daddy." Noticing her daughter's reluctance, she kindly told her that she needed to study, in particular her English. Hugging her, she advised her to be a little more patient, causing Nadja to cry slightly and agree.
Later that night, her husband returned home, so the mother greeted him. When he claimed that he heard she was not at home that day, she responded that it was her shopping day, but the man accused her of getting home late. She tried to clarify that she talked with an old acquaintance, but he slapped her and angrily ordered her not to lie to him. Laying on the floor, she apologized, but her husband kicked her in the head and yelled at her for apologizing "softly," demanding that she change her soft attitude. Holding onto the man's leg, Nadja pleaded with him to stop hitting her mother, causing the man to punch and repeatedly slap the child in turn. Distraught, the mother pleaded with him to stop hitting her daughter. He then grabbed the informant's arm and chastised her for her parenting, claiming that any Serb would treat her horribly for her soft heart. To her horror, she was forced to follow him into her bedroom, where she was thrown onto the bed. Glaring at her and putting himself on top of her, he proclaimed that he was the one who allegedly protected both women, declaring that she belonged to him and would serve him for the rest of her life. Although she tried to push him away, her husband subsequently raped her.
The next day, the mother left her house to meet with Eda, though four men observed her from a distance. At the market, she happily greeted Eda with a bruised face. Grabbing the CIA agent's arm, the informant told her to come with her because she had some great information for her. Eda demanded the info, but the mother replied that she did not have it with her at the moment. Walking to a bridge and looking over it, the Bosnian woman declared that she wanted to tell her something. To Eda's confusion, the informant spoke about how she envied the agent being able to travel all over the world, commenting that she had never left her own city. She recalled that she stayed in her town due to being unable to leave after the VRS's attack during the civil war. Noting that the bombings were day after day, she said that her husband was killed in one of the bombings. Talking about her first husband's kindness, the informant also recalled how her husband was a diplomat to the U.S. and spoke positively of the U.S. as a "dream country."
Although the mother happily expresses her desire to go to such a place, Eda disposed of her cigarette and berated her for providing no info. As they prepared to leave, the four men from before surrounded them, ordering the two women to accompany them. Pulling out her pistol without hesitation, Eda shot and killed all four men, forcing the Bosnian woman to flee the area.[1] That night, the mother decided that she could no longer tolerate her abusive living situation, so she had Nadja pack up her things and come with her. Knowing that Eda was captured by the mujahideen, she went to their hideout and ordered her daughter to remain hidden in the forest until she could ensure their escape. Working with the collaborator, an unnamed Serbian Christian woman, she entered the hideout once the fighters left. Inside, she saw that the lone guard was killed by her collaborator, so she pilfered the guard's pistol from his corpse.
When she slowly opened the door to the interrogation room, she found the tied-up Eda, who became angry at her presence. The informant politely and softly advised her to be quiet, but the CIA agent wondered if her superiors sent her. Denying it, the Bosnian woman clarified that she was told by her recruiter to prolong their meetings because the CIA wanted Eda to be captured by the Muslims to create pretext for an attack. Proclaiming that she would set Eda free, the informant asked in return that she and her daughter be given asylum to the United States. Adding that her daughter was waiting for them in the forest, she gloomily asserted that she could no longer live as a slave to her husband. Eda was confused since the informant told her that her husband was killed, prompting the informant to elaborate that her second husband was a mujahid fighter who came to Bosnia during the civil war, recalling to Eda her second marriage and subsequent abuse. Listening to the story, Eda merely replied that she seemed to have a bad eye for men. Unconcerned about the comment, the informant brushed it off and warned her that they had to leave as soon as possible, asking the CIA agent if she would agree to help her.
Smugly smiling, Eda agreed to help the informant, pleasing her. After untying her, she urged Eda to take the gun that she pilfered from one of the men. Accepting the gun, she joked that she wanted a gun with more bullets, especially in their situation. As she followed the informant, Eda noticed the dead guard and learned that it was the collaborator's doing. Peeking outside the house door, the two women then began to run to the adjacent forest but suddenly had a large light shun on them. The various mujahideen ordered them to freeze, revealing that they captured Nadja. Horrified, the mother pleaded with Eda to lower her weapon. Immediately, the CIA agent was pushed against the ground while the informant was thrown to the ground by her husband, who placed his boot on her head. As the man pinned down his wife, Nadja ran toward her, causing the mother to warn her to stay away. When the interrogator kicked the child to the ground and pointed his rifle at her, the mother pleaded with him to spare her daughter.
Suddenly, the interrogator was shot in the head by a sniper. In the forest, a CIA agent ordered his men to begin their attack, so the agents began exchanging fire with the mujahideen. In the chaos, Eda fought back and shot one man dead, allowing Nadja to reunite with her mother. To their fright, a surviving fighter aimed his rifle at the two Bosnian women, cursing them as traitors. To his right, Eda put her gun against his head and shot him dead. Though shocked, the women confirmed in hesitancy to Eda that they were all right. Smiling and kneeling down, Eda introduced herself to Nadja, but her mother worried that they needed to leave. Assuring her that they were safe, the CIA agent commented that their backup had already arrived and would encircle the area soon. The three women stayed put until Tobias and his CIA agents came by. Calming her temper and wanting a favor from Tobias for his trouble, Eda pointed to the two Bosnian women behind her and requested that they be granted refuge in the United States, surprising them.[2]
The mother and Nadja witness Eda vouch for them.
Hearing Tobias agree to the request, Nadja shared her mother's joyful expression, and the latter deeply thanked Eda for her help. As the two Bosnians hugged each other, the mother's husband, hiding in the forest, shot her in the head, killing her. A second later, Nadja was shot in the heart, killing her as well. Completely shocked and infuriated at their murders, Eda chased down the fleeing men and eventually crashed their car. After fighting the collaborator, she shot the stepfather in the head, killing him and getting revenge for the two women.[4]
A Savage Place[]
When Eda returned to the United States for a vacation, she still felt angered and distraught about the mother and daughter's deaths despite telling herself that she did not feel an ounce of sympathy for the Bosnian women.[5] After being captured and fighting off several mercenaries, Eda reunited with Amber but collapsed on the ground in a state of emotional shock. Thinking about the mother and Nadja, she confessed that she did not understand why they wanted to come to the U.S. because of the alleged foolishness and savageness of Americans in the Deep South. Amber deduced that Eda was shell-shocked not because of the women's deaths, but because of realizing that within her own organization, the CIA, things did not go the way she wanted, a claim which Eda did not deny.[6]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eda Initial Stage Chapter 09: Balkan crisis Part 2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Eda Initial Stage Chapter 10: Balkan crisis Part 3
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Eda Initial Stage Chapter 08: Balkan crisis Part 1
- ↑ Eda Initial Stage Chapter 11: Balkan crisis Part 4
- ↑ Eda Initial Stage Chapter 12: A Savage Place Part 1
- ↑ Eda Initial Stage Chapter 15: A Savage Place Part 4