Title: From Russia With Love. By Jules
Summary: Harm, Mac, Bud and Harriet go undercover in Russia to crack a black market adoption ring.
Disclaimer: I don't own JAG or any of it's characters, but just borrow them for a while to exercise my overactive imagination! JAG belongs to DPB and TPTB at CBS.
Spoilers: None. This piece is set post 'Shifting Sands'
Rating: T/PG.
Category:H/M shipper.
OOOO
Part One
The middle-age couple standing beside their car at the roadside looked nothing like the US Navy personnel that they were. Commanders Jane and Robert Sykes stood rigid, as if at attention as they looked down the road for any sign of an oncoming vehicle. They had been doing this for the past hour, flinching at the first sight of a van or car, then slumping dejectedly as it passed them by and continued on it's way. They were slowly giving up hope; hope of ever seeing their contact again and of getting back the money that they had handed over. Five hundred thousand US dollars. They had spent nearly half that amount over the last ten years, on fertility treatments, on IVF, on surrogacy, all to no avail. Maybe the burden would be a little easier to bear, if they knew the reason why life seemed to be passing them by. They had watched as all of their friends and families had gotten married and had kids of their own. They had even watched some of their friends from their counselling sessions go on to successfully have their own children. But still, they seemed to be stuck in this rut, able to go neither forwards nor backwards. Countless consultations with specialists later, they were still childless and with no reason. Were they just not meant to have children, was it some fault which they had brought upon themselves? Because of their high-risk jobs, the long vetting system and even longer waiting list, adoption in the US was out of the question, as was fostering. They had gone through two lots of unsuccessful surrogacy. If this didn't work, they didn't know what they would do. This was their last chance.
At that minute, an SUV materialised far down the road. It registered in Jane's mind as vaguely familiar, though she couldn't say for sure that this was the vehicle that their contact drove. Both officers held their breath, as the SUV got closer. The blackened out windows seemed to be a positive sign, Robert thought to himself, it seemed to fit in with the secrecy that had surrounded this operation from the beginning. However, to their great disappointment, the SUV carried on past them, not even slowing down and giving any other sign that it would stop in the near future. Jane's head dropped and Robert pulled his wife to him. They both knew what this meant. Their money was now gone and they still had no child to show for it. It was time to give up and go back home to the US. They stood where they were for a couple of minutes, trying to come to terms with what they were feeling.
"Do you think it's us, Robert?" Jane spoke up, quietly.
"Hey," Robert reprimanded her, softly, "What did I tell you? It's not us. We've done nothing to deserve this…you would be the best Mother in the world. We're going to get there, someday. We're just having a harder time than most people. But it is not our fault."
Jane nodded, trying to make herself believe these words. This had carried on for so long, she'd had these doubts in her mind for such a long time that it was hard making herself even think that she deserved to be a Mother. Even Robert had a hard time believing what he was saying, sometimes.
Just then, Robert's eyes shot from his wife's face to the road again. Jane went to turn and look where his eyes were focussed, but he held her shoulders firmly, stopping her with a whispered directive.
"No, don't look. We might put them off."
Robert's eyes had caught sight of the same SUV with blackened out windows, making it's way back down the opposite side of the road. It carried on in the direction it was going, speeding up suddenly.
"I think that's them," he told his wife, quietly, barely daring to believe it.
They stood where they were for a minute, waiting for the SUV to turn around and come back along their side of the road. For both, it was the longest five minutes of their life. But, sure enough, the SUV appeared again and pulled into the lay-by behind them. A man in wrap around sunglasses got out of the front passenger seat and made his way to them.
"Seems like the two of you are having some 'car trouble'," he commented to them, "We'll take a look at your car and see if we can't have you on your way, soon."
It was the interpreter who had been roped into corresponding with them, the middleman between the two sides.
"We'd appreciate that," Robert Sykes told the man, all the while watching as another man got out of the car, this time from the driver's seat. This man, whom the Sykes's knew spoke only Russian, came over to their car and popped the hood, taking a look at the engine. After a couple of minutes he the beckoned the interpreter and the couple over to him, in front of the car. Here, the two men started up a fast dialogue in Russian. The Sykes simply stood quietly, unsure of what was going on. They froze as the left back-passenger door on the SUV opened and another man stepped out. The Sykes knew this man as the ringleader of the organisation. It was he, a doctor, whom they had first approached, he who had blindfolded them both and taken them to the orphanage and he to whom they had handed the money over. He stood by the door for a second, gesturing to someone in the car. Jane and Robert then caught sight of a small pair of feet, clothed in small black shoes and white sport socks. The Russian ringleader took hold of the child's skinny arm and pulled him along beside him. Walking out from behind the door, Jane and Robert caught sight of the little boy, whom they had first met the previous week. Dimitri, or Dima as he was affectionately known, was small and skinny, yet still quite muscular in the upper body for a boy his age. These were telltale signs of the hothouse training in which he had been enrolled, despite the fact that he was only four years old. Most of his days, after kindergarten, were spent in the cramped little gymnasium, performing over and over again, training until his muscles ached and his hands bled. After seeing him perform his gruelling regime of daily training, Jane had promised herself that all this would change, once they got him home. He would play outside in the fresh air, swim in the pool with Robert and eat MacDonald's until his little heart was content.
"As we agreed," the interpreter told them, nodding his head discreetly towards the little boy, "Now, the final payment for all of this assistance."
Robert took the wad of American dollars, five thousand of them, out of his pocket, slipping it to the man looking under the hood of his car. Only then did the ringleader belt Dima into the left-back passenger seat of the Sykes's car and close the door.
"It has been a pleasure doing business with you," the interpreter told them, but sounding as though he had not particularly enjoyed the meeting all that much. When Robert thought about it, he figured all the men were interested in was gaining money, not in seeing a child happily homed. Once the men got back into their SUV, pulled out of the lay-by and back onto the road, Robert and Jane pulled the hood of their car down again and walked round to get back into their car. At this time of year, the weather was not all that warm and both were shivering slightly, though neither of them had actually realised until that moment. Perhaps the cold had combined with their nerves over this event. Robert climbed back behind the wheel of the car, while Jane got into the back seat behind him, to sit with Dima, their new son.
The little boy looked contented over the duration of their journey back to Moscow, leaning into Jane's embrace and snuggling under her arm. Finally, the Sykes's were at the place they had wanted to be, for more than ten years now. Finally, they were a Mom and Dad.
OOOO
1300 Zulu,
Falls Church,
Virginia.
Harm and Mac were returning from a court session, when they were approached by PO Tiner.
"Ma'am, Sir, the Admiral would like to see you both in his office," he told them both.
"Alright, Tiner. We'll just be a minute," Harm told the PO.
Harm and Mac quickly went to their respective offices and stored away their belongings. They met up again in the bullpen, before making their way to the Admiral's outer office.
"He's expecting you," Tiner instructed them both, "Go straight in."
Harm gave a little knock on the door before he opened it, letting Mac in first before he entered, himself.
As they walked into the room, the Admiral fell silent, interrupted in what he was saying.
"Reporting as ordered, Admiral, sir," Harm announced, he and Mac quickly coming to attention. Mac tried and failed to ignore the fact that both of the Roberts Lieutenants were already in the room. Her interest was now piqued.
"Colonel, Commander," Admiral AJ Chegwidden acknowledged, instructing, "At ease. Please take a seat."
Once Harm and Mac had taken a seat beside Bud and Harriet, the Admiral proceeded with what he had been saying.
"Now, as I have just been explaining to the Lieutenants Roberts, what I'm about to brief you on is top-secret, government information. Any leak of this information could result in a lost opportunity of monumental proportions."
All four officers nodded in understanding. AJ knew that he could trust all of these officers, 100, but was bound by the rules of protocol to set the warning out, none-the-less.
"Now, what I'm about to ask of you four is by no means an easy thing. This will be gruelling and demanding, in both a personal and professional way. If, at any time, you feel that you cannot accept the case I am about to give you, then you need only say. I would never blame you for it, nor hold it against you…"
All four officers braced themselves for what they were about to hear, knowing that it would be far from good.
"I have been asked for my cooperation in this matter by Clayton Webb, on behalf of the CIA. This especially involves individuals within the US military, so he thought military personnel might work better within the operation."
Both Harm and Mac had flinched slightly at the mention of Clay's name, both remembering the last time they had been involved in an operation of his. Their apprehension was not allayed by what the Admiral said next.
"He has asked that the four of you take part in an undercover operation that he is planning to conduct in Russia."
"Undercover; this definitely won't be good," Harm thought to himself.
The last time, it had nearly cost Webb, Harm, Mac and Gunny their lives. Webb was only just back to work, after being tortured within an inch of his life. Harm and Mac had showed the cuts and scrapes of their plane crash for quite a long time, from when they had tried to get out of the range of danger. Even Gunny had a hard time during the mission. What on earth had Webb cooked up now?
The Admiral continued on with what he was saying.
"Now, I must tell you that Webb selected the four of you for specific reasons. Colonel, your fluency in Russian is what earned you your place. Harm, seeing as you seem to do so well in these types of situations, your "ability to remain bullet-proof", to put it in Webb's terms of phrase, you have been selected. Lieutenants Roberts, I for one disapprove of the reason Clay chose you to take part in this case. Let me tell you now, I will back you fully if you decide not to take this case. It is something for the two of you to decide together…"
"Um, why exactly did Webb choose us to participate, Sir?" Bud requested, hesitantly.
"Perhaps it would be better for me to explain that by outlining the case, Lieutenant," the Admiral continued, passing Mac the case file, "In that file are the preliminary papers on Commanders Jane and Robert Sykes. They were taken into custody a week ago, re-entering the States in possession of a child whom they had not left with. Jane Sykes was in possession of a forged passport on which the child was travelling. No information on exactly where the child, a four-year-old little boy, Dimitri, comes from has been gained. Both Commanders refuse to account for their whereabouts during their three-week trip to Russia. It is only known that they flew into Moscow at the beginning of the trip then flew out with the newly acquired child three weeks later. Both Commanders refuse to give the full name of the child or any official documents. Where the child came from is only conjecture, at this point. However, what has been assumed is that the child was adopted illegally through a black market enterprise. Such organisations have long run rampant in Russia, without the government being successful in curbing them. They say that the country is just far too large to control everything. CIA agents are now trying to cut a deal with the Commanders to disclose information, which could put a stop to this illegal organisation. However, until an actual transaction is made, we have no proof of what is going on, who is involved and what scale it is being operated on. Webb wants the four of you to take part by going undercover as two childless couples, looking to adopt quickly and off the record."
"So, sir, agent Webb wants Bud and I to take part, because we lost a child and know what it's like to want a child so badly?" Harriet spoke up, suddenly.
"I know that it's far too much to ask of you, Harriet," AJ continued on a more personal level, "I'd never force you to take part. This is totally yours and Bud's decision, I will respect whatever you two tell me."
Harriet and Bud just looked at each other for a second, their faces unsure.
"I'm going to give you as long as you need," AJ told them, "The four of you have no obligation whatsoever to take part in Webb's operation and I'll back you full-heartedly."
AJ had increased in his displeasure of Webb's little schemes, ever since the whole Paraguay incident. If his people decided that this was not the mission for them, he'd support them all the way, even if it meant going against the orders of the SECNAV himself.
With that part of the briefing finished, AJ dismissed his officers for the day, so they could go home to make their decisions.
All four decided that it would be a decision best made as a group, so organised to get together for dinner, later that night, at Bud and Harriet's place.
OOOO
Bud answered the door at seven thirty that night.
"Hi, Ma'am, Sir. Come on in," he greeted Harm and Mac.
"Bud," Mac told him, "How many times have we had this conversation? If we're not in the office, call us Harm and Mac."
Harm just laughed, Bud would never change.
As they walked into the living room, they caught sight of Harriet. She had just put little AJ to bed and was now about to feed her youngest child, baby Jimmy.
"Mac, Harm," she greeted them, "please take a seat. Take-away should arrive any time now."
Mac left Harm's side and went to fuss over the new baby, while Harm contented to sit by Bud and start up a quiet discussion. Just as Harriet was finished feeding and burping baby Jimmy, the doorbell rang and Bud went to collect and pay for the Chinese takeaway that they had ordered earlier. Oncethe babywas put to bed, the dishes and cutlery were taken out and the food dished up. It wasn't until everyone was finished with their meal that discussion about work commenced, around the large dining room table.
"Bud, Harriet," Mac started, "Harm and I understand just how hard this decision is for the two of you. We just want you to know that we will support whatever choice you make."
Bud spoke up in reply.
"Actually, Ma'am, Harriet and I have been talking today and we've both found that there is little difficulty in making our decision. Things were so hard, still are so hard, after baby Sarah, despite the great support that you and the Commander, as well as everyone else at JAG, have given us. We know, first-hand, what it is like to want a child, whether it is your own or one you have never seen before. Clayton Webb is right in thinking that knowledge like that could help the case along…"
Bud looked over a Harriet, confirming that she still felt the same way, before he rendered their decision to Harm and Mac.
"Despite all of the bad memories that it will dredge up, we've decided that we could really bring something to this investigation. We want to make sure that children are placed in approved, suitable homes, not just in those of the people who can afford the price tag. Harriet and I want to take part in Webb's investigation."
"Are you guys sure about this?" Harm checked, assuring them, "There's absolutely no shame in turning something as traumatic as this down."
Bud and Harriet nodded emphatically. They had reached a decision and now, so had Harm and Mac.
All four of them would be going to Russia.
All that passed over the next three weeks swept them up like a whirlwind. They were taken to CIA headquarters and briefed extensively. They were given new identities; each pair told that they were now a married couple, who had gone exhaustively through various methods of fertility treatment and adoption back in the US, without success. In desperation, they had now decided to look abroad for the answer to their childless plight. Last of all, they had an opportunity to talk with the Sykes couple themselves. After hours of exhausting reasoning, they were no further along with ascertaining just what the couple had got up to, during their holiday in Russia. Finally, Bud stepped in, to reason with them one more time.
"Don't the two of you understand? What you two did was clearly illegal. No country would clear an application for adoption in only three weeks. There are not even any official records of you applying to adopt the little boy. Sure, he may have ended up in a good, loving home; you may be the greatest parents in the world. But what about the other children who are shifted out of Russia? Do you think that they're all going to a home approved to raise children in? Do you really think that it is the parenting skills that are examined when such an 'adoption' is being considered? Of course it isn't. All that is required is cash and lots of it. So many people in this country are in positions like yourself. But most of those people don't have the money to afford to buy a child, like the two of you did."
"And I suppose you know what it is like to be without a child, do you, Lieutenant?" Robert Sykes spat back at him.
"I know what it is like to lose a child," Bud told him, honestly, glancing at Harriet, "A child that we anticipated and looked forward to getting to know for eight months."
Robert Sykes bowed his head slightly and mumbled an apology.
"But what hurts so much about all of this is that every week, a group of these Russian orphans is being placed in homes, simply because of money. Those could be homes totally unsuitable, homes without a single ounce of love. There are people who only want children for the status symbol that they provide. Do you think that is fair, Commander?"
Robert and his wife slowly shook their heads, reluctantly.
"Then you need to tell us what you know, so that we can stop the people responsible."
With only minor hesitation, Robert finally spoke up and related his story.
OOOO