They said they wanted to study long enough that they would remember everything without needing to look stuff up. One commented she believed her future consisted of one of three options: She would be a grandmother, a dead martyr, or in solitary confinement.

The women were originally followers of al Qaida and AQAP. One of them, a graduate of York College, had been enamored of AQ since 2009, once writing to an imprisoned bomber in Oregon and another time sending a poem for publication to the predecessor magazine to Inspire.

The other woman was quite the student. During the two years of the investigation, she took courses in electricity, studied chemistry and shared what she learned with the agent.

The sting went on so long, that by late 2014 when ISIS began its current incarnation as a Caliphate State, they referred to themselves as "citizens of the Islamic State" -- although there's no mention they actually were in contact with anyone from ISIS. Nor is there any reference to them mentioning a Califphate, al- Baghdadi, or even the group's spokesman al-Adnani, who has called on supporters to launch attacks in their home countries. Instead, they praised Osama bin Laden.

They had no interest in bombing civilians, who they referred to as "regular people." Instead, if they ever decided to make a bomb, they thought a government target (like police or the military) would be better. When the helpful FBI agent told them about thousands of police officers attending the funeral for recently slain officers, and said an event like that might make a good target, they didn't care for the idea, because there would be "regular people" there.

One of them knew details of other bombing plots by al Qaeda, including the Times Square bomber, and thought she understood the ingredients in the bomb used in Oklahoma City. When asked what she intended to accomplish with her studies, she replied that she didn't have a plan and didn't need one:

VELENTZAS said they do not need a plan because plans are foiled or stopped. According to VELENTZAS, it was premature to discuss the plan and that, if the appropriate time ar1ses, they would know: Later, VELENTZAS explained that she would never want to hurt anyone but, as a Muslim, she must acquire this knowledge and be ready. VELENTZAS commented that the kufar (infidels) have this knowledge and use it to hurt Muslims, and so the group needed to be prepared. According to VELENTZAS, when Allah decides the time, they will know whether one person, or two people, needs to act. She went on to state that at this juncture, they did not need to have these talks because it was too early.

The helpful FBI agent told them that "the fertilizer bomb was the easiest, and that detergent and acetone is an easy combination."

When the Boston Marathon bombing came up in discussion, one of the women said:

VELENTZAS stated that the bombers had erred in attacking regular people. VELENTZAS stated that if so much time and effort is spent on studying, it is better to go for the enemy directly rather than people who are getting drunk or running in a marathon. VELENTZAS stated that it would be better to attack "the head, the neck, the shoulders" of the "snake" (i.e., enemy), referring to those who would harm Muslims, but not "the tail."

The helpful FBI agent studied with the women for hours at a time, went to eat with them, and drove them around to stores to buy things they might use someday. He asked them why they thought they needed to be prepared to bomb something.

Although describing herself as a "peaceful person," VELENTZAS stated, "I like to know how to defend myself, because I feel that' the people that control things are very f*ucked up people ... that become corrections officers, and that become public defenders, I mean prosecuting attorneys, that become homeland security, and these are f*cked up people - They're kufar .... But reality is, is that these people are violent and are f*cked up and you are living in a war that is against your religion."

She talked about "Armageddon."

VELENTZAS stated, "We arc living Al-Malahama, that's the last war, the big'war before the end of day starts, in English they call it Armageddon, we are actually living in that time, it's not a joke, it starts in Syria."

She talked about her future in America:

VELENTZAS described her existence as an "awake person in a mental concentration camp . .. it is a very lonely path." She added, "I might get old here and be able to put a lot of people onto wisdom and reason or I'm going to be in solitary confinement, and get raped or tortured, or I'm going to be killed in the street. That is your future in America."

She then stated, "I already have my mind set up that I only see three outcomes for my future." She listed the options as becoming a grandmother, shahada (death), or solitary confinement.

While Velentzas was the gabby bookworm, the other woman, Siddiqui, quietly on her own initiative stocked on some of the items they had discussed with the helpful FBI agent. One day, when Velentzas and the helpful FBI agent stopped at her house, she shocked them when she showed them the items she had accumulated. She told them, "Once we learn ... I got everything up in this joint." She said she had told Velentzas she was going to get the items, but Velentzas said:

"She's the master of not telling you sh*t that's really important" and "tell the doctor to give [SIDDIQUI] communication pills."

By now, it's March, 2015. The FBI agent asks Velentzas whether she heard about the former U.S. Air Force member, Tairod Pugh, who had just been arrested trying to travel to Syria. (He knows she has been friends with him on FB since August, 2014.) She criticizes Pugh's decision to go to Syria, saying there are plenty of opportunities here.

And with that, the FBI moves in for the arrest.

The FBI had an undercover officer planted with these women for two years. He spent hours at a time with them as they studied bomb making materials from scratch, and gradually learned what ingredients they needed to make a bomb. Instead of egging them on, driving them to Home Depot and providing them with materials from AQ literature and bomb making manuals, did it never occur to them the hours might be better spent coming up with a plan to get them into counseling, explain they were on a bad path or engage a local Muslim religious leader to explain their beliefs were contrary to the teachings of Islam?