我曾当过一回万圣节海盗 | 4

阿富汗感觉，真的超级遥远

Afghanistan felt, like, really far out

对我来说。我当时想，这

there to me. I was like, where

到底是从哪儿冒出来的？坎迪斯居然以为她能靠嘴皮子进入塔利班正在接管的阿富汗。完毕。

is this coming from? Candice literally thought she could talk her way into Afghanistan when the Taliban was taking over. Over.

他们买了大量武器。那里有数不清的

They bought a lot of weapons. There's lots

枪支和金钱。当我看到那个装着M4的

of guns and money. When I saw that duffel bag

帆布袋时，那一刻我们就陷入麻烦了。我从未经历过那种人生走马灯在眼前闪过的生死时刻。我以为自己

with that m four in it, at that moment, we were in trouble. I've never been in a situation that my literal life flashed before my eyes. I didn't think I

永远无法活着离开那里。

was ever gonna outlive that.

这里是《独角兽女孩》，苹果原创播客，由七丘制作，由我查理·韦伯斯特主持并担任执行制片人。坎迪斯·里维拉开始崭露头角——她赢得了犹他谷「百大影响力女性关怀奖」，与当地电视台KUTV合作，甚至开始在杨百翰大学等场合发表关于其工作的主题演讲。

This is Unicorn Girl, an Apple original podcast produced by Seven Hills, hosted and executive produced by me, Charlie Webster. Candice Rivera was starting to get a name for herself. She won the 100 Women Who Care Impact Award in Utah Valley, partnered with local TV station KUTV, and she even started to give keynote speeches about her work, including this one at Brigham Young University.

我是坎迪斯·里维拉。成为反人口贩卖斗士后，我意识到最重要的事就是：这工作根本不需要扛着AR15步枪、披着斗篷，或者去哥伦比亚丛林踹门。

My name is Candice Rivera. One of the biggest things that I realized when I became an anti trafficking abolitionist is that it had nothing to do with carrying an AR15 wearing a cape, or knocking down a door somewhere in a Colombian jungle.

坎迪斯或许没在哥伦比亚丛林行动，但她的反人口贩卖非营利组织「出埃及记」已在犹他州站稳脚跟。其标志甚至飘扬在珠穆朗玛峰顶。2021年时，该组织已运作一年。他们的口号是？

Candice may not have been working in the Colombian jungle, but her anti human trafficking nonprofit Exodus was now well established in Utah. Its logo was even flying high at the top of Mount Everest. It was 2021, and Exodus had been going for a year now. Their tagline?

在Exodus，我们的座右铭是：我们看见你，我们听见你，我们正为你而来。

At Exodus, our motto is we see you, we hear you, and we're coming for you.

坎迪斯的生活变得异常忙碌，仅靠《为爱而书》读书会的文字交流已无法涵盖所有动态，于是她决定升级互动方式——开始为读书会的挚友们做脸书直播。

Candice's life was getting so busy that just writing in the For The Love book group couldn't possibly cover everything that was going on, so she upped the ante. She started doing Facebook lives for her book group besties.

我刚才坐在这儿想着你们。你们就是我心灵的一部分。所以如果我要找人倾诉，那一定是你们。

I just was sitting here thinking about y'all. They're just part of my heart. So I just if I'm gonna talk to anyone, I'm talking to you guys.

这段长达17分钟的视频涵盖了她最近的获奖、约会经历、马桶堵塞到冒名顶替综合征等方方面面。本期节目中你将听到的正是坎迪斯发布在网上的原视频。

This one was seventeen minutes long and covered everything from her recent award win to dating, clogged toilets, and impostor syndrome. The videos you hear throughout the episode are the actual videos Candice posted online.

我刚刚入选了「百大影响力女性」。三十多岁谈恋爱是什么体验？听起来好幼稚。我十几岁的孩子打电话说：'妈你没冲马桶太恶心了现在还堵着'。上个月刚减掉的12磅又回来了。我和那个红脖子前夫简直是一团糟。

I did just win the 100 women who are impacted. So is it dating when you're your thirties? It sounds like juvenile to me. My teenager called me on the phone and was like, mom, you didn't flush the toilet and it's really gross and now it's clogged the last 12 pounds last month. I'm just a hot mess with my toe mundo, redneck ex husband.

上帝一直在启示我关于自我价值的事，所谓冒名顶替综合征不过是敌人的伎俩。

God's really been talking to me a lot about being worthy and how impostor syndrome is just a tactic by the enemy.

交代完近况后，坎迪斯向女士们提出了一个重要请求。

With all the life updates out of the way, Candace had a big request for the women.

我需要祷告。真的，我们需要大家代祷。

I need prayer. Like, we just we need people to pray.

接着坎迪斯透露了Exodus即将参与的重大行动——没错，这些全都在同一次脸书直播里。

Candace then revealed the next big thing Exodus was going to be a part of. And, yes, this was all in the same Facebook Live.

Exodus获得了一个特殊机会帮助撤离部分阿富汗人员，从周一晚上开始我们就马不停蹄地工作。

Exodus has a really unique opportunity to help evacuate some Afghanistan individuals, and we've been working nonstop since Monday evening.

Exitus的国际化进程对坎迪斯生活中的每个人，包括她的助手奥拉，都带来了不小的冲击。

Exitus was going international in a way that was a bit of a shock for everyone in Candace's life, including her assistant, Aura.

我参与的第一个重大行动是在2021年8月，坎迪斯找到我说政府联系了她，希望她介入并营救塔利班追杀名单上的人。

The first big operation that I was a part of was in August 2021, and Candace approached me and said that the government had reached out to her and wanted her to go in and save individuals on the Taliban hit list.

2021年8月，美国在占领二十年后从阿富汗撤军。随着美军撤离，塔利班暴力推翻政府，震惊世界。他们以无人预料的速度攻占首都喀布尔并重新控制全国，引发大规模恐慌。人们仓皇撤离。无数曾与美军及盟军合作的阿富汗翻译、安保人员和政府工作人员的生命在塔利班统治下面临威胁。

In August 2021, The US pulled their troops out of Afghanistan after twenty years of occupation. As they were withdrawing, the Taliban violently overthrew the government, shocking the world. They captured the capital, Kabul, and regained control of the country at a speed no one saw coming, causing widespread panic. There was a chaotic evacuation to get people out. The lives of countless Afghans who had worked alongside US and allied forces, translators, security personnel, and government workers were now in danger under Taliban rule.

在此混乱中，坎迪斯立即行动起来。她说，有混乱的地方就有人口贩卖。

In the midst of all this, Candace jumped into action. She said, where there's chaos, there's human trafficking.

这是逐步积累的，希拉里·克林顿请我帮忙撤人。是啊，这个请求确实让人猝不及防。

It was this built up, I was asked by Hillary Clinton to get people out. Yeah. That one that one felt really left field.

坎迪斯告诉奥拉是美国政府请她从阿富汗撤人，但对她闺蜜丹妮尔却说是希拉里·克林顿的请求。无论如何，坎迪斯决定前往阿富汗。她在Exodus社交媒体上宣布后，收到大量绝望民众的求救信息。坎迪斯声称能营救300人。

Candice had told Aura that the US government approached her to get people out of Afghanistan. But she told her mops bestie Danielle that it was Hillary Clinton who made the request. Either way, Candace was going to Afghanistan. She announced it on Exodus social media and was flooded with requests from those who were desperately trying to find a way to get out. Candice said she had the ability to rescue 300 people.

其中有个叫安娜的女性求助者。她和坎迪斯是高中旧识。安娜是化名，因其工作敏感性我们做了处理。安娜多年从事人道主义工作，帮助的那些阿富汗人如今正躲避塔利班追捕。

One of the requests was from a woman called Anna. Her and Candice knew each other way back when from high school. Anna's not her real name. We've changed it due to the sensitive nature of her work. Anna has spent years in the humanitarian field working with Afghans who are now hiding from the Taliban.

我做了个交易：我会尽全力协助你，但你能多带些人吗？我有必须撤离的人员。这成为接下来三周几乎24小时无休的阿富汗救援项目的启动键。

I made a deal. I will help you out to the best of my ability and do everything I can to help this be successful. Will you take extra people? I have people that need to get out. That was the start button of what became a almost twenty four seven for the next three weeks of trying to work on this project Afghanistan.

坎迪斯许下承诺，将营救安娜那些藏匿在阿富汗的同伴。她开始组建执行团队，助手奥拉负责后勤调度。

Candice made a promise. She would rescue Anna's people that were in hiding in Afghanistan. Candace started to put together a team that could pull this operation off. Her assistant, Aura, was in charge of the logistics.

我为团队购买机票，登记他们携带的武器清单和战区行动资质，他们的专业程度令我震撼。

I bought flights for the team. I had them write down what weapons they brought with them and their qualifications to go into a war zone, and I was blown away.

这可不是随便一支队伍。而是十名从全国各地调来的黑色行动特工。这听起来相当离奇。我满脑子疑问：为什么坎迪斯需要一支黑色行动队去执行人道主义任务？

It wasn't just any old team. It was 10 Black Ops agents who flew in from all over the country. This sounded pretty bizarre to me. I had so many questions. Why does Candace need a Black Ops team to go on a humanitarian mission?

这些人真是训练有素的杀手吗？我拿到了行动文件，行动代号叫'摩根船长'——就是那种香料朗姆酒。成员包括前海豹突击队员、专业狙击手、战术直升机射手和特种部队退役军官。我们核验了每个人的背景，确认他们都真实存在。

And were these people really highly trained killers? Well, I got access to the operation documents, and it was called Operation Captain Morgan, you know, like the spiced rum. There was an ex navy seal, a trained sniper, tactical helicopter shooter, and former special forces officers. We checked every single person out and verified they were all real.

这支队伍的成员累计拥有至少145年的军事经验。

The team combined had a total of at least a hundred and forty five years of military experience.

我们想采访坎迪斯集结的黑色行动专家，但职业性质决定了没人愿意公开表态。只有丽莎愿意开口——出于安全考虑不能透露她的具体工作。这么说吧，她办公室桌上摆着非厨用刀具，墙边靠着步枪，还有个穿着防弹衣的真人大小假人。丽莎从未公开谈论过往行动，但这次她觉得必须为坎迪斯事件发声。

We wanted to speak to one of these black ops specialists that Candice pulled together, But the nature of their work means that almost no one would talk on the record. But there was one person who would talk to us, Lisa. We can't tell you exactly what Lisa does for security reasons. But put it this way, when I sat in her office, there were knives on her desk and not kitchen knives, a rifle propped up against the wall, and a life-sized dummy wearing a bulletproof vest. Lisa has never spoken on the record about any operation she's been a part of before, but felt she couldn't stay quiet about this one with Candice.

丽莎初次见面时就告诉我，那段经历至今萦绕着她。我们坐在她办公室的沙发上——整件事正是从这里开始的。

Lisa told me when I first spoke to her that what happened still haunts her. We sat in her office on the very couch where the entire thing started.

阿富汗事件就发生在这张沙发上。坎迪斯当时接到个资金雄厚人士的电话，表面是人道援助，实则是要营救那些曾保护美军跑道安全的阿富汗人、翻译和所有被我们遗弃的人。我大部分战友都死在那儿了，这事我不能不管，所以我加入了。

Afghanistan happened right on this couch. Literally sitting right here, Candace got a call from somebody that was very well funded, But going there under the banner of a humanitarian aid thing, but at the same time, let's get these guys who helped our men and women in Afghanistan that kept the the landing strips safe and the interpreters and all those all those Afghans that we left there. So I'm like, yeah. I mean, most of my friends are dead, they were killed over there. I'm not gonna let this go, so I'm in.

无所谓了，大家都是这么想的。

Whatever. That's how we all felt.

阿富汗撤军太仓促，许多老兵情绪激动——他们的当地战友和朋友还困在那里。大家急于采取行动营救这些人。坎迪斯向丽莎和黑色行动队承诺会救回被美国抛弃的人，包括她向安娜保证要救的那些。于是行动队在坎迪斯客厅建立基地，首要任务是采购大量枪支战术装备。

The pullout from Afghanistan was so quick and emotions were heightened for so many veterans because the locals they'd fought with and become friends with were now trapped. There was a rush to do something, anything to get these people out. Candice promised Lisa and the rest of the Black Ops team that they would rescue those that America had left behind, as well as all the people she told Anna she would save. So the Black Ops team set up base camp in Candice's living room. First order of business, buy a load of guns and other tactical gear.

他们开始花钱如流水，白天消失去采购装备。头盔、无线电、锯短步枪、新电子设备堆满屋子——从这头到那头。在坎迪斯家，她说话时脚边至少摆着五把枪，沙发上不挪开武器都没法坐人，走路都得踮着脚避开步枪。

They started spending money, and they would just disappear during the day and start buying gear. They got helmets and radios and saw rifles and new electronics and just filled the house. I mean, one end to the next. This was Candice's house. There were probably five guns just by Candice's feet when she was talking to the point where I couldn't sit on the couch without scooting them aside to have a place to sit, you were walking on tiptoes around rifles.

奥拉19岁的女儿贝莉开始为'出埃及记'组织做志愿者，来坎迪斯家帮忙。

Aura's 19 year old daughter, Bailey, had started volunteering with Exodus and had come around to Candice's house to help her mom.

我当时就在客厅里走来走去，

I was just like walking around the living room, like

四处张望，心想，天啊，哦

looking around like, oh my, oh

我的天，

my gosh,

这里发生了什么？然后我继续走，进了厨房，发现台子上有个袋子，里面竟然

what is going on here? And then I just kept walking and I walked into the kitchen and there's a bag on the counter and it was just,

对，装满了现金。

yeah, full of cash.

而我

And I

听说他们几乎卖光了，像是，所有

was told that they sold out almost, like, all

犹他州的枪店。

the gun stores in Utah.

我看到了所有的弹药。

I saw all of the ammunition.

马特，坎迪斯的好友兼埃克塞特的市场营销人员。

Matt, Candice's bestie and Exeter's marketing guy.

实际上，我和车库里的一个操作员一起帮忙清点了所有弹药。我全都看到了。

In fact, I helped take tally of all of ammunition with one of the operators in the garage. I saw all of it.

你能大概告诉我们有多少吗？

Can you give us an idea of how much there was?

我说不上来。数量太多了。我们有个军火库。她车库的整面后墙都堆满了军火物资，无论是弹药、防弹背心还是枪支。那个场景我...我是说，我甚至无法描述有多少枪。

I can't. There's that many. We had an armory. The whole back wall of her garage was covered in armory things, whether it be ammo, whether it be vests, guns. It was a sight that I I mean, I can't even describe of how many guns.

很多AR步枪。大部分都是AR。还有不少格洛克手枪。所有装备加起来，肯定值一百万美元。这点我毫不怀疑。

A lot of ARs. Most of them were ARs. There was a lot of Glocks. All the gear total, like, there was a million dollars worth for sure. Like, there's no doubt in my mind.

我看过坎迪斯家里所有枪支排列整齐的照片和视频。我问过丽莎为什么需要这些枪。如果是去执行人道主义任务，为什么要收集这么多枪支？

I've seen pictures and videos of all the guns lined up throughout Candace's house. I asked Lisa why they would need guns. Why would there be a collection of guns if you're going on a humanitarian mission?

这虽然是出于人道主义问题，但实际上是营救曾协助我们军队的国民的战术行动。

This was going on a humanitarian issue, but it's a tactical mission to get the nationals who helped our military.

我们怎么把枪支运过去

How were we gonna get the guns passed

在那把枪里？

in that gun?

会有某种安排让我们能完成这些。

That there would be some setup where we'd be able to do all that.

黑色行动小组的第二项任务，就是想办法让这个计划可行。奥拉向我们描述过当时的情况有多混乱。

The second order of business for the Black Ops team, find a way to make this work. Aura told us about how chaotic everything was.

这太可怕了，因为进来的人越多，房子里武器就越多，她离行动越近，我们交谈的人越多，她就越疯狂，而且她似乎完全不知道自己在做什么。所以当时我更信任团队而不是她。我们制定计划，然后计划就变了。再制定，又变。后来有位志愿律师来帮他们处理遗嘱事宜。

It was it was terrifying because the more people came in, the more weapons that were in this house, the closer she got to the operation, the more people we were talking to, the crazier she got, and the more it seemed like she had no idea what she was doing. So I was trusting the team at this time more than I was trusting her. We would have a plan, and it would change. And we would have a plan, and it would change. We had a volunteer attorney come in and help them figure out their wills.

很多时候我不明白她在问什么，因为这不是我的领域。一个前家庭主妇怎么可能突然介入军事行动就懂他们的术语？但她指望我懂，还介绍我是从犹他州负责行动的人，说我知道该怎么做。所以我拼命想搞清楚状况。

A lot of times, I didn't understand what she was asking because this isn't my world. Like, how's a a former housewife just gonna step into a military operation and know what they're saying? But she expected me to know, and she would introduce me as the person running the operation from Utah or knows what to do or knows what to do. And so I'm frantically doing everything I can to figure out what's going on.

坎迪斯说美国国务院和中情局批准她包机前往阿富汗。但抵达只是成功一半，她还得安排人员撤离后的去向。坎迪斯似乎人脉很广，通过她在犹他州的关系网解决了这个问题。

Candice said the US State Department and CIA gave her permission to charter a plane to Afghanistan. But getting there was only half the battle. She also needed to figure out where the people were going to go once she got them out of Afghanistan. Candice seemed to know everyone. So through a contact of hers in the Utah scene, she solved the problem.

她设法获得了南非一处闲置学生宿舍的使用权作为临时住所，只需南非政府批准和几百万美元包机费用。幸运的是，上帝站在坎迪斯这边——至少她在另一个视频里对读书会闺蜜们是这么说的。

She managed to get access to an unused student housing compound in South Africa to use as temporary housing. All she needed was permission from the South African government and a couple million dollars to charter a plane. Thankfully, God was on Candace's side, or at least that's what she told her for the love book group besties in another video she posted. Here's what she said.

我向上帝祈求50万美元救25人。今晨3点上帝拒绝了，他说不会给50万救25人，而是要给我200万救400多人——刚刚已经确认了。

I asked God for $500,000 to save 25 people. As of 3AM this morning, God had told me no. And he said, I'm not gonna give you $500,000 to save 25 people. I'm going to give you $2,000,000 to save over 400 people. And it's been confirmed just now.

我必须感谢一直支持我的人们，你们始终支持着我，真的非常感谢。

And I just have to come to people that always support me. You guys always support me, and I just have to say thank you.

资金来自退役绿色贝雷帽特种部队飞行员丹·拉古纳，他参与过黑鹰坠落营救和沙漠风暴行动。当时他正和黑色行动小组在犹他州。不过坎迪斯说希拉里·克林顿也捐了钱。

Candice secured the money. It came from a guy called Dan Laguna, a retired Green Beret and Special Forces pilot who was part of the Black Hawk Down Rescue Mission, Operation Desert Storm. He was in Utah hanging out with the black ops team, though Candice said there was someone else who also gave money, Hillary Clinton.

坎迪斯说希拉里·克林顿承诺过给我们100万美元，我惊呆了。想想也合理，希拉里确实认识关键人物。

Candice said Hillary Clinton was one of the people that promised us a million dollars, And I was just floored. I'm like, well, I guess that makes sense. Hillary Clinton would know the right people.

包机落实后，坎迪斯让安娜通知那些躲避塔利班的阿富汗人：必须立即行动，不惜一切代价尽快赶到喀布尔机场，她将乘机来接应。安娜转达了这个消息。

With the plane secured, Candice told Anna to tell her people who were hiding out from the Taliban in Afghanistan that they needed to run. Get to the airport in Kabul by any means necessary and quickly. Candice was on a plane and was coming to pick them up. Anna relayed Candice's message.

我们很快抵达喀布尔，会带你们飞往安全的南非。现在塔利班正试图控制该地区，我们的人既要穿越恐怖组织与政府军的交战区，又要寻找安全撤离路线。

They would be in Kabul really shortly. We're on our way. We are going to fly you to safety in South Africa. This area is now you know, the Taliban are trying to take over this region. And so our folks are trying to navigate active civil war taking place, between this terrorist organization and the nationals in addition to trying to figure out what is the safe route route out.

塔利班的检查站如雨后春笋般四处涌现，局势瞬息万变。人们试图在明知自己成为目标的情况下，决定如何保护家人并寻找出路。而坎迪斯和她的团队却突然失去了联系。

And Taliban checkpoints were popping up left and right. You just didn't know from one second to the next. So you have people that are trying to determine how do I protect my family and get somewhere knowing that I have a target on my head. And then communication from Candice and her team went silent.

安娜在阿富汗的同伴们抵达了机场，在成千上万同样试图逃离的人群中焦急等待坎迪斯的到来。但坎迪斯不仅没有出现，还失联了。她究竟在哪里？这可是她的生日周啊。

Anna's people in Afghanistan made it to the airport, anxiously waiting for Candace to arrive while battling through the thousands and thousands also trying to escape. But Candice wasn't there, and she was unresponsive. Where was she? It's birthday week.

我必须去参加我的生日

I had to go to my birthday

筹款晚宴。尽管她告诉安娜自己正在路上，坎迪斯其实根本没登机。她当时正在犹他州最爱的网红早午餐店——Sunday's Best

fundraiser tonight. Even though she told Anna she was on her way, Candice wasn't on a plane. She was actually at her favorite place in Utah, the trendy brunch spot, Sunday's Best,

庆祝生日。我们急需捐款，您可以通过网站捐助。让我们帮助更多人也能庆祝下一个生日。

celebrating her birthday. Donations are greatly needed. You can do that on the website. Let's make sure other people get to celebrate another birthday too.

这些是艾米·朱瑞朗读的坎迪斯社交媒体帖文。当阿富汗民众逃离塔利班时，坎迪斯却在犹他州，坐在写着'早午餐狂热'的巨型霓虹灯牌下，与黑行动小组、出埃及团队以及闺蜜们庆生。安娜疯狂尝试联系坎迪斯，直到生日派对结束后，坎迪斯才接电话，坦言自己根本没离开犹他州。

These are Candace's posts taken from her social media, and they're read by Emmy Jurey. While people in Afghanistan were fleeing the Taliban, Candace was in Utah, sitting under a giant neon sign that says brunch me hard, celebrating her birthday with the Black Ops and Exodus teams and her besties. Anna had been frantically trying to get in contact with Candice. Now that her birthday party was out of the way, Candace finally answered the phone. She told Anna she hadn't even left Utah.

安娜怒不可遏。她不得不告诉在喀布尔机场苦等的同伴们：坎迪斯不会来了。

Anna was furious. She had to break the news to her people who were waiting at Kabul Airport that Candace was not on her way.

我不断告诉人们先确保安全，等我们想出办法会立即联系。这简直疯狂至极，看到我们如此对待这些人实在令人作呕。

I am telling people, get to safety. We'll be in contact as soon as we figure out something. It was madness, and it was so disgusting just to see what we were doing with these people.

这让我想起那些铺天盖地的新闻画面：绝望的母亲们高举孩子，把他们托付给任何能带其逃生的人。这些真实存在的人们曾坚信坎迪斯会来拯救他们。

It makes me think of those images that were all over the news. Mothers so desperate to save their children, they were lifting them in the air, handing them over to anyone who could get them to safety. These were real people that thought Candace was coming to save them.

人们开始怀疑这个所谓战术团队是否真具备资质，或许只是些自以为能当美国勇士的愣头青，贸然闯入完全陌生的国度，最终害人害己。

They started getting nervous about who really is this tactile tame and are they truly qualified, or is this just GI Joe kids thinking that they can go be American warriors, you know, jumping into a country that don't know anything and gone get themselves and everybody else killed.

触觉小组当时在坎迪斯家，与坎迪斯、奥拉还有那些枪支在一起。

The tactile team was at Candice's house with Candice, Aura, and the guns.

我们作为团队围坐在桌旁，其中两名成员连夜离开了，因为他们觉得这女人疯了，她的计划太疯狂。他们消失后，坎迪斯在哭，我也在哭，还听到她打电话说没人能救他们。结果第二天，凯维斯又开心起来了。

We sat down at a table as a team, and two men on the team took off in the night because they're like, this woman is crazy. Her plan is crazy, and they disappeared. Candice is crying. I'm crying, and we hear her call people saying that they can't save them. And then the next day, Kevice was happy again.

她说：知道吗？我们还是要行动。于是计划继续推进。我没质疑，因为根本理解不了，只是回应：好吧，

She's like, you know what? We're going anyways. And so plan was back on. I didn't question it because I didn't understand it. And I just said, you know what?

如果你相信这能成功，我就信任你。但我也觉得她行为疯狂——我真心认为坎迪斯活在幻想中，她太渴望成功以至于看不清现实。所以我害怕极了。

If you believe this will work, I'm trusting you. But I also thought she was acting crazy. Like, I really felt Candice has her head in the clouds, and she is so desperate to make this work that she doesn't see reality. So I was terrified.

坎迪斯曾告诉所有人南非政府批准她引入难民，她确实把申请递到了南非总统桌上。疯狂吧？总统看完直接拒绝了。但坎迪斯发现后没告诉任何人。

Candace had told everyone that the South African government gave her permission to bring refugees into the country, and she really did manage to get a request to the desk of the president of South Africa. Crazy. Right? When he read the request, he denied it. But when Candice found out, she didn't tell anyone.

于是团队在毫不知情的情况下继续准备，完全不知道根本没有获得许可。坎迪斯想了新办法——即便未经许可也要执行。这计划如此大胆冒险，她实在憋不住。

So the team just carried on preparing with no clue that there were no permissions in place. Candice had come up with a new way to make it work, even without permissions. It was so bold and so risky, she just couldn't keep it to herself.

虽然她

Though she

告诉大家这只是备用方案。但若出事，她要为人口贩卖承担法律责任。

told everyone it was just a backup plan. She would be responsible or held accountable for trafficking.

没错。她所谓的备用方案就是强行执行。坎迪斯准备非法偷渡难民进南非，然后让自己因人口贩卖罪名被捕——这对反人口贩卖组织负责人来说太诡异了。所以她

Yeah. Her so called backup plan was to just do it anyway. Candice was going to illegally smuggle the refugees into South Africa and then get herself arrested on human trafficking charges. Strange for the head of an anti human trafficking organization. So she

行动前说：在南非贩卖人口要判十年。但她表示即便可能坐牢十年也要做。突然间她成了英雄，我们都对她充满敬畏，但我内心始终矛盾——她可是个母亲啊。

went in saying, what happens in South Africa if you're trafficking is ten years in prison. So she says, I'm gonna do this anyway knowing I might go to jail for ten years. And all of a sudden, she became the hero. We were all, like, in awe complete awe of her. But then also having the conflict in the back of my head of she's a mother.

我内心充满矛盾：一方面觉得这怎么能比你的孩子更重要，另一方面又认为这是她将众人置于家庭之上的最英勇之举。这两种想法让我非常纠结。但我们所有人都认为她是世界上最勇敢的人。听起来熟悉吗？记得第一集的时候

I was conflicted between the feelings of how is this more important than your kids, and then this is the most heroic thing that she's putting all these people above her family. Really conflicted between those two things. But we all thought she was the bravest person in the world. Sound familiar? Remember back in episode one

当坎迪斯前往乌克兰帮助营救两名孤儿，却错过了自己两个儿子的监护权听证会。就像那时一样，坎迪斯向她的爱心团体解释了一切。那是她当周第三次在Facebook上直播。坎迪斯坐在犹他州的床上，又花了十七分钟透露她将因走私指控被捕的计划，并向可能十年不见的朋友们道别。以下是坎迪斯那段直播的音频。

when Candice went to Ukraine to help rescue two orphans and missed her court date for custody of her own two boys. Just like back then, Candace explained all to her for the love group. She went live on Facebook for the third time that week. Candace sat on her bed in Utah and spent another seventeen minutes revealing her plan to be arrested on smuggling charges and saying goodbye to her friends who she may not see for ten years. This is the audio of Candice from that live.

我即将登机。我们大约在犹他时间中午出发，我将护送多人跨越国境。我将被指控国际走私，并为此承担后果。能成为这些人的耶稣，这真是个绝佳的机会。我不想死。

I'm about to get on a plane. We leave at around noon in Utah time, and I will escort multiple individuals across a country border. I will be charged with international smuggling, and I will take the fall for that. To be Jesus to these people, it was just an amazing opportunity. I don't wanna die.

我不想在监狱度过十年，我知道这两者都是极大的风险。我确实正在亲身实践我们的使命宣言。我们看见了他们。我们听见了他们的呼声，我们正在赶来。我将被指控国际走私。

I don't wanna spend ten years in prison, and I know those are both very big risks. I definitely am seeing our mission statement firsthand. We saw them. We heard them, and we're coming. I'm gonna be charged with international smuggling.

这其实挺酷的。就像海盗一样。我喜欢海盗。有次万圣节我扮过海盗，特别可爱。天啊。

That's actually, like, really cool. It's like a pirate. I I like pirates. I was a pirate for Halloween once, and it was really cute. Gosh.

我的头发从来没这么邋遢过。我戴着一条超酷的围巾全程都不会摘。总之好吧。我要出发了。可能十年都见不到你们了。

My hair has never been more gross. I have a really cool scarf that I'm wearing the whole time. So, anyways okay. Well, I'm going. I may not see you for ten years.

我爱你们

I love you

所有人

all

深爱着，请为我们祈祷。有机会我会更新消息。

dearly, and just be praying for us. I'll update you when I can.

她打算成为那只因运送这些难民而被捕的替罪羊。所以我坐在这里想，你打算干什么？她正说着关于孩子的事——这是耽误她的原因之一，因为这周孩子归她照顾。我就想，所以你要飞越半个地球，然后去被捕？

She was gonna be the sacrificial lamb that was arrested for trafficking these refugees. So I'm sitting here going, you were gonna do what? She's talking about her kids of this is one of the things that's delaying her as she has her kids this week. And I'm like, so you're going to fly around the world. You're going to get arrested.

那你的孩子们呢？你自己的亲生孩子。这时她说，但拯救所有这些人的生命是值得的，总有一天我的孩子们会感谢我这么做。

And what about your children? Your own very children. At which point she said, but it's worth saving the lives of all these people, and one day my children will be thankful that I did this.

此时距离坎迪斯最初声称要乘飞机去阿富汗营救安娜的人民已过去七天。他们躲避塔利班藏身七天，等待坎迪斯的到来。现在坎迪斯终于要登机了，但这架飞机无法容纳300人——她承诺营救的数量。这是架仅能坐14人的小型私人飞机，甚至不去阿富汗。

This was now seven days after Candice originally said she was on a plane to rescue Anna's people in Afghanistan. Seven days they've been hiding from the Taliban, waiting for Candace to come. Now Candace was finally getting on a plane, but it wasn't a plane that could fit 300 people, the amount she'd promised to rescue. It was a small private plane that could only fit 14. And it wasn't even going to Afghanistan.

飞机只飞往迪拜，距离阿富汗三小时航程。说他们会到那儿再想办法，但去迪拜意味着那些武器库没法带上。

It was only going to Dubai, a three hour flight away from Afghanistan. Said they would figure it out from there, but going to Dubai meant the armory of guns couldn't come with them.

坎迪斯说，伙计们，我们不能带武器。于是他们慌乱地把所有装备从房子里搬出去。

Candice is like, guys, we can't be armed. And so they frantically started moving all the equipment out of the house.

所有枪支迅速消失，除了奥拉在一个军绿色长步枪包里看到的那把。

All of the guns disappeared rapidly, except for one that Aura saw inside a long army green rifle bag.

我记得看到地上有个绿色包，里面装着步枪，心想不是说不能带武器吗？坎迪斯说，对，没人会带武器。当然，大家都很害怕不带武器进去。但所有人仍愿意这么做。

I remember seeing this bag on the floor, I think it was green, that had rifles in it and thinking, I thought they couldn't go in armed. Candice is like, yeah. Nobody will be armed. And everyone was terrified, of course, going in without their weapons. But everyone was still willing to do it.

早晨到来。我一大早去房子那儿看是否准备好出发？没人打包。甚至没人收拾行李。于是他们慌忙收拾东西，我们挤进坎迪斯的凯雷德车里。

So morning comes. I go to the house early that morning to see, like, are we ready to go? No one's packed. No one has even packed their bags. So they frantically gathered their things, and we got in Candice's Escalade and jam packed the team in there.

坎迪斯在高速上飙到120英里。没人系安全带。我想，这就是我的死法了。因为坎迪斯开车本来就很吓人。她边照镜子边准备，车速120。

Candice was going probably a 120 down the freeway. Nobody had their seat belts on. I was like, this is how I'm gonna die. Because Candace is a really scary driver as it is. So she's getting ready in the mirror, going like a 120.

但我们到了普罗沃机场，开始卸货装飞机。我拿起一个大背包背上，锁进飞机放好。坎迪斯问，你知道里面是什么吗？我说不知道。她说，那是五万美元现金。

But we made it to the Provo Airport, and we started unloading, like, the stuff on the plane. And I pick up this big backpack, put on my back, lock it up in the plane, and set it down. And Candice is like, do you know what was in there? And I was like, no. She's like, that was $50,000 in cash.

你当时什么反应？

What was your reaction to that?

完全震惊了。这让我感觉有点恶心。

Just totally shocked. It kinda made me feel icky.

坎迪斯的好闺蜜丹妮尔也来送她离开。

Candace's mops bestie, Danielle, also popped by to see Candace off.

我当时觉得这架小私人飞机太酷了。我们对着这架私人飞机简直像追星一样兴奋。但后来飞行员一直催促说我们得走了，天气太热了。

I'm like, this little private airplane is so cool. So we're kind of like starstruck over this little private jet that they've got going. But yeah, then we're just the pilot is really like, we gotta go. We gotta go. It's too hot.

这么热的天气本来不该起飞的。他催着大家赶紧登机，结果我们只能慌乱地把行李塞进飞机——他打开底部舱门，行李和飞机，行李和飞机。坎迪斯还在喊要带个水壶。

We're not supposed to be taking off when it's this hot. Like, we've got like, your people need to get in this plane and go. So then it's just throwing bags into the plane. Like, he opens up the hatch at the bottom, bags and plane, bags and plane. You know, Candace is like, I want a pitcher.

我们还需要一个水壶。飞行员明显很不耐烦。最后总算拿到水壶，他们才上了飞机。

We need one more pitcher. So, like, the pilot is just so irked. And finally, we get the pitcher, and they get on the plane.

坎迪丝捧着我的脸哭起来。我也在哭，她说'出埃及记'交给你了，说她可能回不来，现在要由我来接手。她离开后我完全不知所措。

Candice had my face in her hands and started crying. And I was crying, and she's like, Exodus is yours. She's like, I might not come back. This is now on you to take over. She took off and had no idea what to do.

我们本应拯救所有这些生命，但我会因为不懂怎么做而毁掉一切。

We're supposed to save all these lives, and I'm gonna ruin all of it because I don't know what I'm doing.

飞机起飞时我和奥尔相拥告别，当时我们都在想：天啊，希望他们能平安回来。

Or and I hug as it flies away, and then Or and I were like, gosh, I hope they make it back.

说真的这些人...无意冒犯，我不是要居高临下，或许我确实有点。但显然他们从没坐过私人飞机。我坐过无数次，这对我来说不算什么。让我尴尬的是坎迪斯带着那些该死的沃尔玛塑料袋，装满了卫生巾、厕纸之类的杂物。

I mean, these people no offense, and I don't mean to condescend her. Maybe I do, but, obviously, they'd never been on a private plane before. I've been on lots and lots and lots. That's not a big deal for me. I was embarrassed because Candice get all these fucking Walmart bags, plastic Walmart bags of feminine protection things, toilet, like all just all these bags.

至少用个旅行袋吧？能不能有点品位？整个场面让我感到难堪。

Like, go get duffle bags at least. Like, have some class. I was just horrified by the whole thing.

黑行动小组的丽莎当时在那架飞往迪拜的私人飞机上，周围堆满了沃尔玛捐赠物资的袋子。但其中隐藏着一个更令人毛骨悚然的军绿色长形行李袋。

Lisa from the Black Ops team was on the private plane heading to Dubai, surrounded by Walmart bags of donated supplies. But hidden amongst them was one more bag, a long army green one that truly horrified Lisa.

我认出来了，我看见了，这一幕将终生萦绕在我心头。当我返回那里使用实验室并目睹那一切时，

And I recognized, I saw it, and this is something that will haunt me till the day I die. When I went back there and used the lab and saw that,

我简直要吐了。那个袋子里装着一把M4军用步枪，以及丽莎所说的全套作战装备——热成像仪、夜视镜和防弹衣。丽莎发现这些装备正随着他们在三万英尺高空飞行。

I was just sick. That bag had a rifle in it, an m four army rifle, as well as what Lisa calls a full operator's kit, thermals, night vision goggles, and armor. Lisa found out it was riding with them at 30,000 feet.

而我却无能为力。全程我都恶心得要命，因为我们不能打开舱门把那玩意儿扔出去。在满机舱的沃尔玛袋子中间，我的眼睛死死盯着那个该死的行李袋，因为我知道里面装着什么。

And I couldn't do anything about it. I was just sick the whole time because I can't we can't open the door and pitch the thing. Like, there's nothing we could do. Surrounded by all these Walmart bags, but I'm just staring at that fucking duffel bag because I know what's in there.

丽莎只能坐着等待降落时可能发生的状况。经过十六小时飞行后，团队降落在以严格法规和零容忍政策闻名的迪拜。通过安检前所有人都紧张不安。

Lisa just had to sit there and wait to see what would happen when they landed. After a sixteen hour plane ride, the team landed in Dubai, which is notorious for its strict regulations and zero tolerance. There was a nervous wait to go through security.

当那个袋子通过检测仪被打开时，我生平第一次体验到走马灯般的濒死感——毕竟我们在迪拜。当时正值美国形象极糟的时期，而我们却带着步枪全套装备代表美国。这种恐怖感受我再也不想体验第二次。随后我们全被赶进一个房间。

As that bag was going through the detector, and then they opened it up. I've never been in a situation that my literal life flashed before my eyes because we're in Dubai. And here we are representing America at a very bad time for America with a rifle and all its components. I've never felt that feeling again, and I never wanna ever, ever, ever feel it again. And then we are all shuffled into a room.

坎迪斯被带走了。她说了句'我不可触碰'。我以为...我是说...我以为我们要去坐牢了。

Candice is taken away. She used the phrase, I am untouchable. I thought I would be I mean, I thought we were going to prison. The

黑行动小组在迪拜遭到拘留，坎迪斯被带走问话。但她仍设法在《为爱成书》群里发了条消息。

black ops team was detained in Dubai, and Candice was taken away for questioning. But she still managed to squeak out an update to the For The Love Book group.

祈祷吧祈祷吧祈祷吧。目前被扣留在迪拜。希望能周旋解决。好消息是有免费WiFi，坏消息是可能面临拘留。

Pray, pray, pray. Currently being detained in Dubai. Hopefully, we'll talk out of it. Good news, free Wi Fi. Bad news, detainment is possible.

爱你们所有人。

Love you all.

不知怎么地，经过六个小时的努力，坎迪斯说服了当局释放所有人。

Somehow, after six hours, Candice convinced the authorities to let everyone go.

最新消息：经过六小时审讯后，我们获释了。

Update. After six hours of interrogation, we are out.

她甚至在桌子底下偷偷录下了审讯过程。她把视频给丽莎和其他黑行动小组成员看了。

She even secretly recorded the interrogation under the table. She showed the video to Lisa and the rest of the Black Ops team.

她为此感到非常自豪。

She was very proud of herself.

他们全部入住了迪拜的一家五星级酒店。坎迪斯独自住一间房，其他人则必须合住。坎迪斯和她的项目经理——一个叫达奇的前海豹突击队员——一起坐在酒店大堂里。坎迪斯穿着黑色长开衫和哈瓦那人字拖，达奇穿着蓝色短裤和战术背心。丽莎以为他们在策划下一步行动，实际上他们正在视频通话。

They all checked into a five star hotel in Dubai. Candice had a room to herself, but everyone else had to share. Candice and her project manager, a guy called Dutch, who was an ex Navy SEAL, sat in the hotel lobby together. Candice in her long black cardigan and Havana flip flops, Dutch in blue shorts and wearing a tactical vest. Lisa thought they were planning their next move, but they were actually on FaceTime.

他就在酒店大堂里打电话。我们要和那些我们承诺营救的人视频通话。我们马上就来接你们，别担心。在万豪酒店大堂里大声嚷嚷。

He's on the phone in the lobby of the hotel. We're gonna FaceTiming these people that we're trying to get get out. We're coming to get you. Don't worry. Yelling in a public in a Marriott lobby.

和那些可怜的家庭视频——那些我们承诺过要拯救的家庭。

FaceTiming these poor these families that we've promised to save.

黑行动小组在酒店里坐等了好几天，等着坎迪斯找到进入阿富汗的办法。他们开始焦躁不安。坎迪斯承诺的事情一件都没实现。她最终不得不向他们坦白。她告诉他们南非总统已经拒绝了难民申请。

The black ops team sat in the hotel for days waiting for Candace to find a way into Afghanistan. They were getting agitated. Nothing Candace was promising was materializing. She finally had to come clean to them. She told them that the South African president had denied the refugee request.

事实上，她根本没有获得任何许可。她从未得到美国国务院或中情局的批准。美国政府也好，希拉里·克林顿也好，都没有请她帮忙。希拉里没付过一分钱。坎迪斯甚至都没和她说过话。

And in fact, she didn't actually have any permissions in place. She never got permission from the US State Department or the CIA. Neither the US government nor Hillary Clinton asked her to help out. Hillary didn't pay any money. Candace never even spoke to her.

我们飞机上的人都以为这些许可和文件手续都通过国务院搞定了。你不能随便闯进任何国家为所欲为。很明显坎迪斯和达奇搞砸了。我们压根没有任何许可。

Those of us on that plane assumed that all these permissions and paperwork had been taken care of via the state department. You can't just drop in to whatever country you want and do what you wanna do. It was clear that Candace and Dutch are fucked. We had zero permission.

在无计可施的情况下，坎迪斯采取了极端手段——登上南非电视台，从迪拜的酒店房间恳求南非政府接收她列出的难民名单。

With nothing in place, Candice went to the extreme of going on South African TV, begging from a hotel room in Dubai for the South African government to let her list of refugees in.

这些人员中许多都是英美盟友的高优先级个体，他们处境极其危险，若不获救必将丧命。

A lot of these individuals are high priority individuals that have been allies to The UK, America, and they really they're individuals that are not safe. They will be killed.

你们会继续与南非政府保持高层级谈判以解决当前困境吗？

Will you try and keep negotiations ongoing at a high level with the South African Governments to try and resolve the situation?

当然。我正在请求他们重新考虑决定，让我们能接回这些人。他们正在等待，我们必须竭尽所能确保其安全。现在只需要南非的落地许可，我们就能安置并护送他们前往最终目的地。

Absolutely. I'm asking right now for them to rethink their decision so that we can bring these people. They're waiting, and we need to do everything we can to get these individuals to safety. All we need is a landing certificate for them to land in South Africa so we can take care of them and get them to where they need to go.

这是坎迪斯在南非收视率最高的e新闻频道的发言——虽然她向所有人宣称这是BBC。电视恳求并未奏效，坎迪斯必须另寻他法。由于无法进入阿富汗，她非法偷渡人员的备用计划也宣告失败。远在犹他州的奥拉正竭力寻找方法，解救那些等待坎迪斯和埃克斯特团队的难民。

That was Candace on e news, South Africa's most watched TV news channel, although she told everyone it was the BBC. The TV plea didn't work. Candice would have to find a different way. And with no way to get into Afghanistan, her backup plan to illegally smuggle people wasn't going to work either. On her own back in Utah, Ora was scrambling to find a way to get the refugees waiting on Candace and the Ekster's team out.

每次我

Every time I

接到的任务都是限时生死状。有次坎迪斯联系我说：'我们只有20多张绿卡，如果24小时内搞不到更多，这些人全都会死。我上哪儿去找绿卡？'

was tasked with something, it was do this by this time or everyone dies. And at one time, Candice contacted me and said, we don't have this many green cards. It's 20 something green cards. And I was told, if you don't have these within, like, twenty four hours, they will all die. Where do I go to find green cards?

怎么给素未谋面的人弄绿卡？我连他们的名字都不知道。就像突然被告知：'一天内搞到20张绿卡，否则他们就会死。必须完成。'

How do I find green cards for people I don't know exist? I don't have their names. It was just, hey. We need 20 green cards in a day or they will die. Get it done.

这对奥拉是不可能完成的任务。一天内连一张美国永久居留绿卡都难搞定，更别说20张。

An impossible task for Aura. You can't get one US permanent residency green card in a day, let alone 20 of them.

我深感对这些生命的责任，却无能为力。不断听到那些等待者的故事更令人煎熬——因为我们承诺过会来，让他们携家带口在指定时间逃命。他们真的躲藏着苦等，而我们失约了。

I just felt the responsibility of these people lives, and there was nothing I could do about it. I also kept hearing stories about the people waiting for us because we told them we're coming. We said, be here by this time and run for your lives. And they left with their families and waited, like, literally sat in hiding, waiting for us to come, and we didn't come.

当这一切发生时，坎迪斯仍与她‘为爱而读’书友会的好友们保持日常联系。只不过她向她们描述的情况略有出入。以下是坎迪斯书友会闺蜜之一的讲述。

As all this was happening, Candace was still in regular contact with her besties in the For The Love book group. Although what she told them was going on was a little different. This is one of Candace's book group besties.

她说他们降落在迪拜，正忙着准备所有文件材料，就等获准进入阿富汗的许可。她说需要准备足够资金贿赂各个检查站的官员，还要确保救出难民后的安全。为此她会见了一位已离开阿富汗的塔利班前将军，为获得会面机会必须行贿。这位将军对德州文化和牛仔风情非常着迷。

She said they landed in Dubai, and they were trying to get all of the paperwork ready, and they were just waiting on the okay to get into Afghanistan. She said they needed to have enough money to bribe the officials at different checkpoints, and they needed safety guaranteed when they got them out. And in order to guarantee that safety, she met with the former general in the Taliban that was no longer in Afghanistan. And in order to meet with him, they needed to give him a bribe. He is fascinated with Texas culture and with cowboys.

他说自己从未拥有过皮带扣，特别想要一个。

And he said he's never had a belt buckle and really wanted a belt buckle.

德州皮带扣绝非寻常之物。它们体型硕大，通常由贵金属打造，是代代相传的家族珍宝。

Texas belt buckles are no ordinary belt buckles. They're big, usually made of precious metals and are family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation.

于是我和一群每天为她祈祷的朋友们出发寻找皮带扣，最终从一位女士那里得到一件。她坚信这是上天要她捐出来救助阿富汗难民。那是镶着红宝石的金扣，精美绝伦，是她祖父留下的唯一传家宝。我们连夜快递给迪拜的坎迪斯，她发来照片——皮带扣与送给将军女儿（一位公主）的王冠一起躺在公文箱里。

And so I and a group of my friends that have been praying every day that she was there, we left and went on search for a belt buckle and ended up finding one from a woman that really felt like she was supposed to give it to help the Afghan refugees. It was gold with red stones on it. It was beautiful, and it was the only heirloom she had of her grandfather's. And we had to overnight it to Candice, and we got it to her in Dubai. And she sent us a picture of it in the briefcase with the crown for the general's daughter, which was a princess.

这些都将作为换取难民安全撤离阿富汗的礼物。坎迪斯声称自己在阿富汗待了几天，期间被ISIS拦截扣留。有次整个团队被困在一间公寓里。

And all of that was going to be a gift in order to get safe passage for these refugees to come out of Afghanistan. Candice, for a few days, was in Afghanistan. She said they were stopped by ISIS. They were held and detained in Afghanistan. At one point, the group was all holed up in one apartment.

众人正为下一步争执不休时，突然响起敲门声。无人敢应门，她便上前开门。门外是个全身黑袍只露双眼的男子，问她是否信仰耶稣。那一刻她感觉这是上帝在考验——要么坦白信仰准备赴死，要么撒谎求生。

They were all fighting about what they were going to do next, and she said they had a knock at the door. Nobody wanted to open the door, so she went over and opened the door. It was a man fully clothed and black to where only the eyes were showing. He asked her if she believed in Jesus. At that point, she felt like this was God telling her that she needed to either profess her belief in him, and be prepared to die or lie.

她宣誓了对耶稣的信仰，对方说‘很好’，随即带领他们逃离险境。她说最终全员平安撤离阿富汗，特种部队无一人伤亡。

And so she professed her belief in Jesus, and he said, good. Then follow me and took them out and led them to freedom from that area. She said they all ended up getting out of Afghanistan without any of the special ops team dying or getting injured or hurt.

确实没有特种部队成员伤亡——因为他们根本就没去过阿富汗。当坎迪斯向书友会编造阿富汗历险时，她正和丽莎及黑豹突击队员舒舒服服待在迪拜万豪酒店，甚至给新男友发龙虾牛排大餐的照片。

It was true. None of the special ops team died or were injured or hurt. But that's because they were never in Afghanistan in the first place. While Candice was telling the For The Love group she was in Afghanistan, she was actually sitting in Dubai in a comfy Marriott hotel room with Lisa and the rest of the Black Ops team. She was even sending pictures of her lobster and steak dinners to her new boyfriend back home.

每天看着他们的灵魂逐渐枯竭，看着他们酗酒度日。我不喝酒也无意评判，但酒精确实无益于神志清醒。我们不断被谎言欺骗和精神操控，而每日听闻的故事越发荒诞离奇。

Every day got just you just watch their soul deplete, and you watch them drink so much. I didn't drink. I'm not judging them, but alcohol really doesn't help the mental capacity. And we were just being lied to and gaslit. And every single day, the stories were more ridiculous.

坎迪斯和达奇总会制定下一步行动计划，而我说，你们他妈疯了吧。为什么每次出事我们都要改变目标？我们被欺骗了。他们提出这些荒谬的计划。我看着每个人在心理上逐渐崩溃。

Candace and Dutch would have this plan of what we're gonna do next, and I said, you're out of your fucking minds. Why are we moving this goalpost every time something happens? We are lied to. We are presented with these ridiculous plans. I'm just watching everybody psychologically just start to lose it.

然后那位护林员说，我经历过不少糟糕局面，但从未遇到过这种情况。坎迪斯和达奇去买劳力士，全都戴上了劳力士。我说你们他妈在开玩笑吗？这完全超出了我能接受的底线。

And then the ranger was like, I've been in some really fucked up situations. I've never been in a situation like this before. Candice, Dutch, they went Rolex shopping, and they were all wearing Rolexes. And I said, are you fucking kidding me? Like, this was so beyond my scope of what's acceptable.

有天我们去购物时，我看见坎迪斯的房门开着，保洁人员在里面。我走进去。她有很多现金，目之所及至少有300美元。我打开带保险柜的衣柜，保险柜甚至没上锁。

One of the days we went shopping, I see Candice's door open, and housekeeping is in there. I walk in. She has a lot of cash, $300 as far as my eyes could see. I open the closet that has the safe. The safe isn't even locked.

这就是她的安保级别。这就是我们声称正在与各国首脑交涉、获取许可的领导者。

This is her level of security. This is our leader who is supposedly dealing with the heads of all these countries and getting permissions.

我有张丽莎当时拍的坎迪斯酒店保险柜照片，活像黑帮电影场景。成堆的百元美钞上放着三块镶钻劳力士，还有坎迪斯向读书会提过的黄金红宝石腰带扣和公主王冠。我们知道王冠最后在犹他州的坎迪斯手里，根本没给什么公主。至于腰带扣，坎迪斯告诉丽莎她送了个腰带扣给塔利班将军，虽然她之前说是自己祖父的。

I have a picture that Lisa took at the time of the safe in Candice's hotel room. It looks like something out of a gangster movie. On top of piles and piles of $100 notes are three diamond encrusted Rolexes, plus the gold and ruby belt buckle and princess crown that Candace told the book group about. We know the crown ended up with Candice in Utah, not with a princess. As for the belt buckle, Candice told Lisa she had given a Taliban general a belt buckle, although she had said it was her own grandfather's.

与此同时，安娜拼命想获取她试图救出阿富汗的那些人的最新消息。来回沟通令人精疲力尽。安娜开始对坎迪斯的执行能力感到恐慌，她手上握着人命。而坎迪斯却一直待在迪拜。

Meanwhile, Anna was desperate for updates on the people she was trying to get out of Afghanistan. It was relentless trying to communicate back and forth. Anna was starting to panic about Candace's ability to deliver. She had people's lives in her hands. Candace was sitting forever in Dubai.

每次问她进展，

And anytime you asked her,

她都说'正在处理'、'我们在做这个'、'我们在做那个'、'马上要实地行动'、'我们会进去'之类的废话，你就坐在那儿心想：别扯了。

we're working on it. We're doing this. We're doing that. We're gonna be boots on the ground. We're gonna go in and all the stuff, and you're just sitting there, stop already.

说实话到底什么情况？她说他们昨晚都去夜店了，需要发泄压力。这他妈到底在搞什么？你是在逗我吗？

Be real. What in the heck is going on? She says, you know, they all went out to the club last night because they need it to blow off steam. What the actual is going on there? Because are you kidding me right now?

有次她跟我说需要购物疗法，就去巴宝莉买了条羊绒围巾准备在沙漠戴，简直荒谬。那一刻我彻底受够了。

At one point, she tells me she needed some retail therapy. So she goes shopping at Burberry and gets a cashmere wool scarf to wear in a desert, which just makes no sense. That was when I had had enough.

那成为了安娜的爆发点。她与坎迪斯断绝了联系，并联系了另一个在阿富汗当地提供援助的组织。他们成功帮助一个七口之家越过边境进入巴基斯坦。但安娜试图拯救的大多数人至今下落不明。

That was the breaking point for Anna. She cut off contact with Candace and got in touch with another organization who were on the ground in Afghanistan to help. They managed to get a family of seven across the border to Pakistan. But most of the people Anna was trying to save are unaccounted for.

我将永远困惑——这些人是否还活着活着活着。这一切值得吗？值得吗。这值得。这值得。

And I will forever wonder, are these folks alive alive alive. Was any of this worth it? Worth it. This worth it. This worth it.

这值得值得。

This worth worth it.

最后一根稻草是《新闻周刊》那篇文章。

The final thing was that Newsweek article.

黑色行动小组已在迪拜停留一周试图制定计划。这时他们订阅推送里弹出一篇《新闻周刊》的报道——正是关于他们的。我手头就有这篇文章，上面写着：七名携带武器的美国平民试图前往阿富汗，于8月31日被捕。

The black ops team had been in Dubai for a week now trying to figure out what to do. An article published by Newsweek popped up on their feeds. It was about them. I have the article right here. It says, seven armed United States civilians attempting to make their way to Afghanistan were arrested on August 31.

联邦调查局知悉此事但暂无进一步评论。国土安全委员会副主席表示司法部必须调查这些人的身份及其与国内极端主义的关联。对丽莎而言，这成了压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。

The FBI is aware of the matter but has no further comment at this time. Vice chair of the Committee on Homeland Security said the Department of Justice must investigate who these people are and what ties do these individuals have to extremism here at home. For Lisa, that was the final straw.

于是我说：好，我们明天就走。我要叫礼宾服务，我们必须离开。我们全体登上飞往卡特罗、亚特兰大然后盐湖城的航班。我打电话给律师说：请到机场接我，我觉得自己会被捕。

And I said, okay. We're leaving tomorrow. I'm gonna call the concierge, and we're leaving. We all get on this plane to Cutter, Atlanta, and then Salt Lake. I called my attorney, and I said, please meet me at the airport because I think I'm gonna get arrested.

我以为我们真的完蛋了。结果没有。大家都来到我家，喝得烂醉。我劝其他人别再跟任何人提起这事，也别再想了。

I thought we were I really thought we were done. So we didn't. And we all went to my house, drank a lot. I encourage the rest of the group to just, like, don't talk about this with anyone. Don't think about it.

试着放松就好。

Just try to decompress.

事实正是如此。当黑色行动小组从迪拜返回后，他们从未向任何人提及那里发生的事。在他们心里，这段经历永远不该再被提起。甚至连奥拉都不知道实际发生了什么。

That's exactly what happened. When the Black Ops team got back from Dubai, they never spoke to anyone about what happened there. In their minds, this was never to be spoken about again. Even Aura didn't know what actually went down.

坎迪斯从未向我提及迪拜发生的事。后来我多次追问她在当地的经历，她总是以‘我们都有创伤后应激障碍’为由拒绝谈论。他们后来甚至去跳伞，认为这能缓解心理创伤。我不时提起这事，但她始终没有给我答案。

Candace never talked to me about what happened in Dubai. I later asked her a lot of questions about what happened there, and then she would say we can't talk about it because we all have PTSD. They all went skydiving after thinking that that would help their trauma, and I I would bring it up here and there, but she would never gave me answers.

坎迪斯在社交媒体上将阿富汗任务包装成巨大成功。她在脸书发了张照片：一群阿富汗小孩挤在破卡车里，配文是

Candice made it seem like the Afghanistan mission was a huge success on social media. She posted a picture on Facebook of a group of young children in Afghanistan crammed together in a beat up truck and wrote

过去三个月我总共睡了不到六小时。我从阿富汗行动回来本是要当个好妈妈，但跨四个时区工作实在太难了。感谢上帝我们已撤离近千人，现在或许能睡个安稳觉了。

The last three months, I have slept maybe six hours total. I came home from the Afghanistan operation to be a mom. However, working in four time zones has been so hard. I am praising God that we have evacuated near 1,000 people, and now I may be able to sleep.

没错。虽然坎迪斯对外宣称只营救了300人，但她私下说实际从阿富汗撤出了近千人。

Yeah. Even though Candice only ever claimed to be rescuing 300 people, she said she actually evacuated near 1,000 from Afghanistan.

坎迪斯，我直说吧——我们确实救了人。但我听到的无数故事根本无从验证。不知道还有多少人等着联系，既没收到我们联络人的消息，也没坎迪斯的音讯。直到今天我都不知道，完全不知道这些人的下落。

Candace, let me just say that we saved people. There's story after story after story that I heard that I have no idea is true. I have no idea if there's people still waiting that didn't hear from our contacts and never heard from Candice. And to this day, I have no idea. No idea what happened to these people.

我不知道是否有人丧生，也不清楚他们苦等了多久。

I don't know if people died. I don't know how long they waited.

结果坎迪斯转头就在社交媒体宣称我们拯救了数千人。

And then Candice put on social media that we saved thousands of people.

奥拉并非唯一至今仍不清楚阿富汗行动真相的人。坎迪斯在‘为爱书友会’里备受爱戴，她全程向书友会更新动态，讲述了许多关于她亲赴阿富汗前线帮助难民逃亡的故事。

Aura isn't the only one who to this day doesn't know what actually happened during the Afghanistan operation. Candice's beloved for the love book group, who she was keeping updated the whole time, were told many stories about her being on the ground in Afghanistan, actively working to help refugees escape.

她从阿富汗回来后不断宣扬营救事迹，有时说雇用了800名难民，有次甚至发帖称救出1000人，大家都信以为真。

Came out of Afghanistan sharing the news of rescuing, sometimes I've hired 800 refugees. I think she posted at one point in time 1,000 refugees, and everyone believed that that's how many got out.

她描述有人腿部骨折难以翻越山区，不得不与反叛军谈判，向塔利班支付更多赎金。有人下巴中弹，269人已越境，还剩600人待撤离。

She talked about how someone had broken their leg and they were having trouble moving through the mountains. They had to make deals with rebel fighters. They had to pay more money to the Taliban. Someone got a bullet wound to the jaw. 269 people across the border, 600 to go.

现场更新的戏剧性细节实在太多了。这就是今天发生的事。这是这场大规模任务五天后的进展。能认识一个正在做如此大规模事情的人真是难以置信。

Just so many dramatic details of live updates. This is what's happening today. This is what's happening five days later of this huge mission. It was incredible to know someone who is doing something of such massive scale.

我们唯一确定的是，坎迪斯从未去过阿富汗。而且根据丽莎所说

One thing we know for certain, Candace never went to Afghanistan. And according to Lisa

出埃及记组织从未遣返过任何美国公民或阿富汗国民。

Exodus never repatriated any US citizen nor any Afghani national.

我不知道发生了什么。这一切让我难以理解。

I don't know what happened. It's just so much to wrap my head around.

由于奥拉承受的压力，以及她在坎迪斯回来后无法获得关于阿富汗的任何答案，她开始质疑与坎迪斯的整个友谊，并濒临退出出埃及记组织。

Because of the stress aura was put under and the fact that she couldn't get any answers about Afghanistan after Candace returned, she was questioning her entire friendship with Candace and on the verge of quitting exodus.

我当时几乎到了憎恨坎迪斯的地步，因为我心想，你怎么能这么不负责任、这么善变，整天做白日梦？她还吹嘘说自己听说可能因此获得诺贝尔和平奖的传闻。当涉及人命关天的事情时她竟这样说话，我气坏了。我当时就想，我不能再为她工作了。感觉我们之间已经完全不存在友谊了。

I was, like, at the point of hating, Candace, because I'm like, how can you be so irresponsible and so flaky and just have your head in the clouds? And she was bragging about how she heard rumors of getting the Nobel Peace Prize for this. And I was so mad that she was talking like that when it was people's lives. And just thinking, I cannot work for her any longer. Like, I did not feel the friendship at all anymore.

我只想退出。但那件事刚结束，就又出现了其他需要我帮助的人和事。真实的人活生生站在我面前需要帮助，我无法转身离开。阿富汗事件刚结束，乌克兰战争就爆发了。坎迪斯又一次找到我说，美国政府要求我去拯救那些孤儿。

I just wanted out. But then as soon as that was over, there was something else and more people that needed me. Real people in front of my face that I could see needing me, and I couldn't walk away. Right after Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine broke out. And once again, Candace came up to me and said, the US government has asked me to go in and save save the orphans.

坎迪斯说：嘿，听着。我们动用了摩尔多瓦黑帮的关系。对吧？这就是我们要住的摩尔多瓦黑帮的房子。

Candace is saying, hey. Look. We pulled in some favors with the Moldovan mafia. Right? This is this Moldovian mafia house that we're gonna stay at.

当我扫描身份证时，机场所有的警报器都响了起来。

As I scanned my ID, all the sirens went off in the airport.

然后他们开始问我问题，问我是否去过阿富汗或中东，是否在那里携带过枪支。我回答说：我不知道你在说什么。

Then they started asking me questions about, was I ever in Afghanistan or in The Middle East, and had I ever had guns over in there? And I'm like, I don't know what you're talking about.

保安过来把我带走审问，他想了解坎迪斯的情况。

And security came and got me and took me to interrogate me. He wanted to know about Candace.

这里是《独角兽女孩》，苹果原创播客节目，由七山制作公司出品，由我查理·韦伯斯特担任主持兼执行制作人。本节目由我查理·韦伯斯特与杰克逊·麦克伦南共同制作。原创配乐及主题曲由瑞安·索伦森创作。剪辑与音效设计由尼科·皮莱拉完成。助理制片及事实核查由艾米·乔尔负责。

This has been Unicorn Girl, an Apple original original podcast produced by Seven Hills and hosted and executive produced by me, Charlie Webster. Unicorn Girl is produced by me, Charlie Webster, and Jackson McLennan. Original score and theme music by Ryan Sorensen. Editing and sound design by Nico Pilella. Assistant producer and fact checking by Emmy Jore.

坎迪斯的社交媒体帖子也由艾米·乔尔朗读。混音由小大房间工作室完成。额外支持来自欢乐计量公司。请在苹果播客上关注并收听。

Candice's social media posts are also read by Emmy Jore. Mixed by Little Big Room. Additional support by Funmeter. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.