0800 EST
Tuesday
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
"Good morning, Commander Rabb," Gunny said as Harm walked into the bullpen. "It's good to have you back."
"Good morning, Gunny," Harm replied cheerfully as he took his messages from the younger man. "It's good to be back."
"Don't get too comfortable, Sir," Gunny stated. "The Admiral and the Colonel are waiting for you in the Admiral's office."
Harm grinned slightly as he shook his head. "I guess it's back to the grind."
"Yes, Sir," Gunny agreed.
Harm quickly deposited his briefcase and cover in his office before he made his way across the bullpen to Admiral Chegwidden's office. Tiner looked up from his computer with a smile. "Good morning, Sir. Go on in, they're waiting for you."
"Thank you, Tiner." Harm knocked on the open door before stepping inside.
Admiral Chegwidden quickly motioned him into the chair next to Mac. "Good morning, Commander."
"Good morning, Sir," Harm replied.
"I trust that you're back to one hundred percent."
"Yes, Sir. I got the all clear yesterday afternoon."
"I'm glad to hear that, Commander." With just a hint of a smile, Admiral Chegwidden added, "I hope that the next time you ask for leave to do your quals that you will refrain from turning it into an extended vacation."
"I'll do my best, Sir." Harm replied. He chanced a look over at Mac then, and was relieved to see her smiling. Since his mother had insisted on staying with him while he recovered, they hadn't had much of a chance to talk about the departures of their significant others. However, he had every intention to rectify that situation as soon as he got the opportunity.
Harm flashed her a brief smile before turning his attention back to the Admiral. "How familiar are you two with Fleet Week?"
"The biannual event put on by the Navy where the Armed Forces get to play nice for the public?" Harm asked.
"And where the Navy shows off all of their high tech intelligence equipment while demonstrating its uses in civilian life?" Mac added.
"If I'm not mistaken, Sir," Harm continued, "This year's focus is on the Starfish and some of the new technology that the Navy is researching."
"Such as the infrared heat-seeking device which is being tested in American cars to provide what is commonly referred to as night vision," Mac stated.
The Admiral allowed a small grin to cross his features as he replied, "Sounds like you're pretty well versed in the area to me. Good. You two are on the next flight to New York."
"Sir?" they questioned in unison.
"During the Marine Corps raid demonstration last night, one of the participants, Corporal Brian Patton, discharged his weapon into the crowd."
"Was anybody injured, Sir?" Mac asked.
"Fortunately, no," he replied. "However, the Navy has a lot invested in this event, so you two will be conducting a thorough investigation into the matter."
"Aye, Sir," Harm stated.
"Tiner has all of your flight information," the Admiral continued. "Hotel space is impossible to come by due to the size of the event, so you will be staying on board the USS Mahan while she's docked. I'll expect a report as soon as you know anything."
"Aye, Sir," they replied in unison as they stood up.
"Dismissed."
Wordlessly, Harm and Mac made their way out of the office to Tiner's desk. "What time is our flight, Tiner?" Harm asked as Tiner handed him an itinerary.
"1100 hours, Sir," Tiner replied. "Do you want me to arrange a car and driver to take you to the airport?"
Harm gave Mac a questioning glance and she shrugged in response. "Sure, why not."
"You heard the Colonel," Harm said to Tiner.
Turning his attention back to Mac, he added, "I need to go home and pack. Do you want to meet back here?"
"Is forty-five minutes enough time for you?" Mac asked as they started across the bullpen.
"Should be," he replied when they reached her office. "See you then."
"Don't be late," Mac warned him, earning a smile from him before he disappeared into his office to pick up his things.
1430 EST
Tuesday
Riverside Park
Manhattan
Harm and Mac stepped under the police barrier tape and walked over to the Marine Colonel who was snapping out orders to the assembled men. They waited until the men dispersed before they approached the Colonel and came to attention. He quickly put them at ease and introduced himself. "I'm Colonel Hayes. You two must be Rabb and MacKenzie."
"Yes, Sir," Harm answered for them.
"A.J. told me to be expecting you. How can I help get this mess cleaned up as quickly as possible?"
"You can start with telling us what happened," Mac suggested.
Colonel Hayes motioned for them to follow him as he began his story. "Yesterday was the third day of this demonstration. It had gone off without a hitch both of the previous times. However, Corporal Richardson wasn't feeling very well last night, so I sent him to get checked out and I put Corporal Patton in his position." They came to a stop beside a large oak tree and the Colonel pointed out several bullet holes in it. "As you can see, things didn't go quite as smoothly last night."
"What happened?" Harm asked.
"I honestly don't know," Colonel Hayes replied. "One minute we're doing the drill and the next, shots are ringing out and people are diving for cover. I looked around to see where the shots were coming from, and there was Corporal Patton with his gun raised and still aimed in this direction."
"What did he have to say about the situation?" Mac asked.
"Nothing," the Colonel replied. "I confiscated his weapon and confined him to quarters until we could get things settled down here, then when I went in to talk to him, he refused to say anything until he had a lawyer present."
"We'd like to talk to him," Harm stated.
The Colonel nodded his agreement. "I would appreciate it if you would keep me advised on how your investigation is progressing, Commander, Colonel. There are a lot of civilians around this week, and the last thing I need on my hands is a loose cannon."
"Aye, aye, Sir," Harm replied.
"I'll get someone to take you to see Corporal Patton," the Colonel said before he turned and made his way back across the park.
Mac looked over at Harm, who was staring at the bullet holes in the tree. "What are you thinking, Harm?"
Harm shook his head and turned to look at her. "I don't know, Mac. This is really weird."
"You can say that again," she replied. "I'm hoping that Corporal Patton can shed some light on the situation."
"For some reason, I'm not really counting on that."
"Why not?"
"Come on, Mac," he replied. "That would be way too simple, and we both know that nothing in our lives is ever simple."
She nodded her agreement as she broke her gaze from his. "That may be true, but nothing that is really worth having is truly simple, is it?"
"No," he agreed as he turned so they were standing shoulder to shoulder again. "But sometimes we make even the simple things too complicated for our own good."
Mac met his gaze, but before she could say anything, they were interrupted. "Commander Rabb, Colonel MacKenzie, Sergeant Raze reporting to escort you to Corporal Patton's quarters."
Harm and Mac shared a soft chuckle as they followed the young man to a jeep. Before they climbed in, though, Harm leaned over and whispered to Mac, "See what I mean, it's never easy."
1425 EST
Corporal Patton's Quarters
The young man jumped to attention when Harm and Mac entered his room. "At ease, Corporal," Mac stated. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie, and this is Commander Rabb. We're with JAG and we're here looking into last night's incident."
"Am I being charged, Ma'am?" he asked.
"Not yet," Harm answered. "Right now we're just trying to figure out what happened. Would you care to tell us?"
"I can't, Sir."
"Why not?" Harm prompted.
The young man glanced from him to Mac with a pleading look in his eyes before he said, "Because I don't know what happened, Sir."
Harm dared a quick look at Mac before he motioned Patton into a chair. "Have a seat, Corporal." After they were all seated around the small table, Harm continued, "Why don't you start at the beginning for us."
The young man took a deep breath before he began. "Yesterday at about 1530, Colonel Hayes told me that Richardson was pretty sick and wasn't going to be able to do the raid demo, so he wanted me to take his place. I told him that I was looking forward to the opportunity, and he said he knew he could count on me."
"Where did this conversation take place?" Mac asked.
"In the artillery room," Patton replied. "I was helping a couple of the other guys load the weapons with the blanks that were to be used in the demonstration."
"But your gun didn't fire blanks last night," Harm interrupted.
"No, Sir," he agreed. "And that's another thing that I can't figure out. I helped load all those weapons myself. I know that they had blank rounds in them when we secured them for the demonstration."
"Maybe we should back up a bit," Mac offered. "What happened after Colonel Hayes left?"
"Well, the guys started teasing me a bit about how this was a big deal and I didn't want to screw it up with the whole nation watching."
"Guys?" Mac asked.
"Baggs and Tomlinson," he clarified. "The three of us are the ones responsible for all of the weapons used during Fleet Week. Anyway, they were just messing with me, you know how Marines can be, Ma'am." When Mac smiled at him in understanding, he continued, "After we secured the weapons, we headed to the mess hall to grab an early dinner and then we went back to our bunks until time for the demonstration."
"Were Baggs and Tomlinson involved in the demonstration?" Harm asked.
"No, Sir, but they said they wanted to see me in action."
"Did anything unusual happen between then and the start of the demonstration?" Mac probed.
"No, Ma'am. I came here and wrote my girlfriend a letter and then got ready for the demonstration. Baggs and Tomlinson met me outside and we walked over together. Everything was normal right until the demonstration started."
"What happened then?" Harm asked.
"I don't know, Sir. I was in formation, waiting for the order to move in when all of a sudden, I saw something moving in the shadows. I remembered Colonel Hayes telling us that we needed to be as alert as if we were on a real mission because you could never tell when the enemy would try a sneak attack, so I turned my attention in that direction. The next thing I knew, Colonel Hayes was taking my weapon from me and having me escorted back here. I don't remember anything that happened between those times."
Harm glanced over at Mac with raised eyebrows as he voiced his next question, "Corporal, did you take any drugs or anything yesterday?"
"No, Sir," he stated.
"Is it possible that someone slipped you something?" Mac asked.
"The only people I was around are Baggs and Tomlinson, and they wouldn't do something like that," he replied.
"Would you be willing to submit to a blood test, just so we can be sure?" Mac asked as she met his gaze across the table.
"Do I have a choice, Ma'am?" he asked in response.
"Not if you want to prove your innocence," she replied.
"Fine, then," he agreed.
"We'll arrange for that to happen as soon as possible," Harm stated as they all stood up. "And after we get the results, we'll be back to talk to you."
"Yes, Sir," Patton replied.
Harm and Mac exited his room in silence and waited until they were back outside before they stopped to face each other. "You're thinking that maybe his buddies slipped him something, aren't you?" Harm asked her.
"The thought has crossed my mind."
"But that doesn't explain the live ammo," Harm added for her.
"Exactly," she agreed. "Unless the buddies who slipped something into Corporal Patton's food or drink were after more than just a little humor at his expense."
"Why don't we wait for the blood tests before we talk to Baggs and Tomlinson," Harm suggested. "Right now I'd like to have a look at the weapon Patton used last night."
"I'll meet you in the artillery room," Mac stated. "I'm going to find Colonel Hayes and get the blood test set up."
"See you there, then," Harm replied as Mac headed over to the jeep where Sergeant Raze was waiting.
1805 EST
Tuesday
Ferry off Coney Island
"Why are we going to Coney Island again?" Mac asked as they made their way up on to the deck of the ferry.
"I told you, Mac," Harm replied with a grin. "I want to see this demonstration for myself so I can see what was supposed to happen."
Mac leaned her arms on the railing and looked out over the water. "Are you sure that you're not just using this as an excuse to not have to question Baggs and Tomlinson again?"
"You wound me," he replied as he turned and joined her leaning on the rail. "Although if I had known that I was going to run into them at the artillery room, I would have gone to set up the blood test and let you go check out the weapons."
"Just like a squid," she teased as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Can't handle a couple of young marines."
He laughed softly as he turned his back to the water and leaned back against the rail. "Guilty as charged."
They were quiet for several moments before Mac stepped back and looked up at him. "I heard you on the phone with your mom earlier, is everything okay?"
He nodded as he met her gaze. "Yeah, she just wanted to make sure I was doing okay. You know how she can be."
"Yeah, well, you gave her quite a scare, Harm. You gave all of us quite a scare."
"I'm sorry, Mac." He reached up and gently cupped the side of her face. "I'm sorry for a lot of things."
"Harm..." she began, but he cut her off.
"We're not in Washington, Mac."
"Location doesn't change who we are," she answered him softly.
"No, it doesn't," he agreed as he softly stroked her face. "But it also shouldn't take one of us almost getting married or dying to get us to face the reality of what's happening between us."
"And what *is* happening between us?" she asked as she covered his hand on her face.
"I don't know," he answered as he pulled her closer. "But I know that I don't want to pretend that it's not there anymore."
"Then what do you want to do?" she asked as her eyes dropped to his lips.
"This," he answered and then his lips were on hers in a gentle, loving caress that left them both longing for more when they broke apart to look at each other.
"I'm not sure that I'm ready for this," Mac whispered. "I don't want people to think that we're rushing into this because we're on the rebound."
"So we don't tell anybody," he offered as he pulled her closer into his embrace.
Mac wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her forehead against his chest. "I wish it were that simple." When she felt the rumble of laughter in his chest, she leaned back far enough to look up at him. "What?"
"Maybe just this once, we can make it that simple, Mac."
A small smile played across her lips and she studied him for a moment before saying, "You're serious about this, aren't you?"
"I almost lost you because I was afraid of this thing...whatever it is...between us. I don't want to make the same mistake twice, Sarah."
"I don't know what to say, Harm," she said.
"Then don't say anything," he offered. "I'll wait. I'll wait for eternity if that's what you want, as long as I know that I'm waiting for you."
Tears welled up in her eyes and he gently brushed them away with his fingertips. He allowed his fingers to linger for just a moment before he forced his hands to drop back to his sides. "I believe it's your turn to buy dinner," he teased her. "And I'm in the mood for a large salad."
Mac smiled as she took a step away from him and fell back into the safety that his teasing tone offered her. "Oh, no, you don't. Tonight we're feasting on coney dogs." At the look of disgust that crossed his face, she added, "When in Rome."
1115 EST
Wednesday
Colonel Hayes Office
Colonel Hayes waited until Mac and Harm were seated before he asked, "How are things going?"
"Well, Sir," Mac began. "The blood test on Corporal Patton showed traces of a mild sedative in his bloodstream."
"So this was deliberate?" he asked.
"We think so, Sir," Harm replied. "But we don't think that Corporal Patton is the one responsible for it."
"Especially since someone had to have replaced the blanks in his gun with live ammo," Mac added. "We've talked to Baggs and Tomlinson, and from the time they left Patton at his bunk until they met up with him again, there just wasn't enough time for him to have done it."
"So who do you think is responsible?" Hayes asked.
"We're not sure," Harm replied. "But we think that this incident might be related to one on board the Mahan."
"There was a report of a small fire in the galley at the same time as your demonstration the other night," Mac continued.
Colonel Hayes shook his head and stood up to pace. "Are you implying that someone is trying to sabotage us?"
"It's possible," Mac replied. "But it's more probable that these events are being used as distractions."
"From what?"
"We're not sure," Harm admitted. "We're looking for a common denominator, but it could take a couple of days."
"And in the mean time what do you suggest I do?"
Mac looked over at Harm before saying, "Follow the schedule for the week, but keep your eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary."
"These could just be coincidences," Harm added. "So until we have something else to go on, there's no need to cause alarm."
"And Corporal Patton?" Hayes asked.
"That's your decision, Sir," Harm replied. "Our investigation hasn't turned up enough evidence to warrant prosecuting him, so we'll leave you to deal with him as you see fit."
The Corporal nodded his head in agreement as he made his way back to his chair. "I trust that you two will let me know as soon as you find something."
"Yes, Sir," they agreed.
"Very well then. Dismissed."
"Aye, Sir," they echoed as they stood to attention before turning and making their way out of his office.
1330 EST
Wednesday
Riverside Park
Manhattan
"Thanks, Gunny," Mac said into her cell phone. "We'll let you know if we need anything else." After disconnecting the call, Mac slid the phone into her pocket and made her way over to where Harm was sitting on a park bench - also talking on his cell phone.
"Do you know when?" Harm asked. After a brief pause, he sighed and closed his eyes. "Okay, Webb. Thanks."
Mac waited until Harm placed the phone on the bench beside him before she spoke. "Everything okay?"
"That was Webb," he replied without bothering to look up at her. "Apparently they've reached an agreement with Chechnya for Sergei's release."
"That's good news, right?" she asked as she walked over and sat down next to him.
"It should be," he replied.
"But?" she asked.
"Webb says that they won't commit to a date for the release until they are guaranteed the release of some prisoner or something."
Mac reached over and placed her hand on his arm. Giving it a gentle squeeze, she said, "Maybe this is one of those complicated things that will turn out being simple."
In spite of his uneasiness over Sergei's impending release, Harm found himself smiling when he met Mac's gaze. "I hope so, Mac."
Mac returned his smile and allowed her gaze to lock with his for the briefest of moments before she pulled her hand away from him. "Gunny found something."
"Lieutenant James Wilson?" Harm asked.
"How did you know that?" Mac asked.
"Webb," Harm replied.
"So I suppose that you also know that his older brother was involved in a terrorist group out in Arizona?" Mac asked.
"No," he replied. "Webb didn't mention that. All he said was that they'd been keeping their eyes on him for the past six months because he'd had contact with a known terrorist while on liberty in the Greek Isles."
"The known terrorist was his brother, Jerry Wilson," Mac offered. "I don't suppose Webb told you what he suspected was going on."
Harm smiled as he stood up and turned to face her. "You know Webb better than that, Mac. All he told me was what he wanted me to know."
"Then I say it's time we go talk to Lieutenant Wilson and see where he was during the time of the raid demonstration."
1400 EST
Wednesday
USS Mahan
Pier 88
Harm and Mac followed a petty officer as he led them down to the galley of the ship where Lieutenant Wilson was on duty. When they stepped into the kitchen area, the petty officer stopped and pointed across the room. "Lieutenant Wilson is over there, Sir, Ma'am."
"Thank you," Harm replied.
As they started across the room, Harm called out to him. "Lieutenant Wilson?" Lieutenant Wilson looked up from where he was chopping vegetables, and when he saw them, he dropped the knife and ran in the other direction.
Surprised by his reaction, Harm and Mac glanced at each other before they started to chase after him. Once back in the hallway, they quickly spotted him turning a corner and Harm sprinted after him. Catching up to him in just a few short strides, Harm leaped at him and his momentum knocked them both to the ground. Wincing in pain, Harm rolled to his side and Lieutenant Wilson was scrambling to his knees when Mac reached them. With her knee in the middle of his back, she forced Wilson back to the ground before she turned to look at Harm. "Are you okay?"
He nodded his head as he took a deep breath and slowly expelled it. "The ribs are still a little tender is all," he explained.
Mac rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "You didn't have to tackle him, Harm. Where do you think he was going to go?"
Harm shrugged as he got to his feet and reached down to help Mac pull Wilson up. "Guess this was one of those simple things I tried to make complicated," he said with a grin before turning his attention to Wilson. "So Lieutenant, do you want to explain why you're in such a hurry to get away from us?"
"I didn't want to do it, I swear," Wilson began. "None of it was my idea."
"Hold it," Mac stated. "Before you say anything else, I think we need to advise you of your rights. Let's go."
0900 EST
Thursday
JAG Headquarters
Admiral Chegwidden's Office
"Have a seat, Colonel, Commander," Admiral Chegwidden stated. "I've been reading over your report on the Patton case. Very interesting material you've got here."
"Yes, Sir," Mac agreed. "When we questioned Lieutenant Wilson, he confessed to everything. He slipped the sedative into Corporal Patton's mashed potatoes that night at dinner and then he slipped away and broke into the artillery room and replaced the blanks with live ammo."
"How did he know which weapon Patton was going to be using?" Admiral Chegwidden interrupted.
"He didn't, Sir," Harm replied. "He only knew which part of the demonstration Patton was involved in, so he changed the ammunition in all of the rifles used that night."
"And he was responsible for the fire on the Mahan as well?" the Admiral asked.
"Yes, Sir," Mac replied. "According to Wilson, the plan was to have several little incidents happen in different places throughout the week so that when his brother's terrorist group moved in on the Starfish, everyone would be too distracted to realize what was happening until it was too late."
"And this terrorist group was after the infrared heat-seeking sensor on board the Starfish?" Admiral Chegwidden questioned.
"Yes, Sir," Harm replied. "Apparently, they thought they could get a lot of money on the black market for it."
Admiral Chegwidden shook his head as he leaned back in his chair. "Clayton Webb called me a few minutes ago and said that they had rounded up all of the members of the terrorist group thanks to Lieutenant Wilson's help."
"Do you think his co-operation with authorities will help him any during his court martial, Sir?" Mac asked.
"I'm sure that the members will take that under advisement, Colonel. However, this is a young man standing court martial for treason, and with the evidence against him, including his confession, it probably won't hold much weight."
"And what about Corporal Patton, Sir?" Harm asked.
"Colonel Hayes has returned him to full duty as of 0800 this morning." With that, the Admiral closed the file and looked over at them. "Nice work on this one. You two did a good job of focusing on the big picture and not just on what was in your direct line of sight."
"Thank you, Sir," they replied.
"That's all for now. Dismissed."
"Aye, Sir," they stated.
They walked out of his office in silence and it wasn't until they reached her office that Mac finally spoke, "Can I have a word with you in my office, Harm?"
Harm nodded his agreement and followed her into her office where she closed the door before turning to face him. "What's on your mind, Mac?"
"I've been thinking about what you said the other night," she said as she met his gaze. "You know, the part about us not having to tell anybody right away if we decided to explore this thing between us."
"Yeah?"
She nodded and walked around him to stand on the other side of her desk before she met his gaze again. "Yeah. So how about dinner and a movie at my place tomorrow night and we can talk about it?"
"Sounds perfect," he answered her with a smile.
"I'm not making any promises here, Harm," she said softly.
"And I'm not asking for any," he replied.
She returned his smile briefly before someone knocked on her door and interrupted them. Turning her attention to the pile of papers that Gunny was unloading on her desk, Mac only caught the wink that Harm gave her out of the corner of her eye before he stepped out of her office with a simple, "Not yet anyway, Colonel."
The End