A/N: Howdy all. Part two is finally complete, so let the posting begin! Woo hoo! As promised, this one's more action oriented. Um…Obviously it's a sequel; the part 2 in the title kiiiinda gave that away. Thanks for all the reviews on part one. You guys rock…I think that's it. Enjoy!
Superfluous Disclaimer: Why why why why why, if I owned JAG, would I be posting on a fanfiction site? Seriously.
1623 ZULU
JAG HQ
London, England
Harm had almost made it to his car in the parking lot outside the JAG building when his cell phone rang. "Hi sweetheart." He had learned months ago to answer the phone that way when he knew his wife was going to be mad at him. And this time, she had every right to be.
"You're twenty three minutes late, Rabb. Have you even left yet?"
"I know, I know, I got hung up in court. I'm getting in my car right now. I'll be home in ten minutes. Mattie got my mess-dress uniform back from the cleaners right?" Harm did his best to change the subject; Mac calling him by his last name was never a good sign.
"Yes, she did. Harm you do realize we have to leavein eighteen minutes, right?"
"I'll be home in ten. We'll be on time, Mac, I promise."
"The Colonel-"
"Is expecting us to be there, I know." Harm winced as he peeled out and sped away from the parking lot. One nice thing about living in base housing for the time being was that he didn't have that far to drive. It was stopping at all the stop signs that took so damn long. "I'll be home in a few minutes. Love you."
"Me too."
Harm sighed as he flipped the phone shut and concentrated on his driving. He knew she was in a bad mood whenever she said "me too" and not "I love you too," and Mac had every right to be mad at him. Her boss, Colonel Matthew Jenkins, and his wife had planned a reception so Mac could meet some of the more important people in the Royal Navy and local government officials she would be dealing with during the course of her duties. Colonel Jenkins was the military attaché assigned to the American Embassy in London, and Mac was currently his part-time legal assistant.
The plan for Mac's work schedule had originally been for Mac to switch to an active reserve status while Mattie recovered. After the move to London, Mattie had surprised everyone, including her doctors, by learning how to walk again less than six months after her accident. Mac was able to go back to work just three months after moving, and found that although Mattie could now do just fine on her own, she enjoyed being at the house when she arrived home from school. It was time that they shared everyday, just the two of them, because Harm wouldn't return home from work until closer to dinnertime. Mac and Mattie enjoyed this "girl" time, and spent it talking about everything from boys and office gossip to what shoes were going on sale at the shopping center. Mattie had been ecstatic when she found out Mac loved shoes just as much as she did.
Mac was enjoying her new job as much as she was enjoying being able to spend more time with Mattie. Colonel Jenkins was on Ambassador Lader's personal staff. He was able to provide expert opinions on military matters and deliver position papers that the Ambassador could take to the British Government on how the United States would respond in certain military situations. However, in order to do this work successfully, Jenkins had believed for some time that he needed a JAG lawyer to not only endorse his opinion on military matters, but to act as a legal advisor for personnel in the office and offer insight on proposed changes to the rules of engagement. Since the latter was an important issue overseas and had to be discussed with the allies helping in Iraq, Colonel Jenkins had been overjoyed when General Creswell informed him there would be a JAG officer from his office arriving to fill the position within the next four months. The Colonel was more than pleased with Mac's performance and kept politely asking Mac to reconsider going back to active duty.
Mac had decided not to at least until Mattie was almost done with high school. Harm had supported her decision. He was glad Mac was happy in her new position, and he was glad that Mac and Mattie were getting along so well. He'd had his reservations before they moved in with him- although Lord knows he never admitted it out loud- that living with two very strong-willed ladies could turn out to be a bit of a challenge at times…Which indeed it was … Especially after spending the last twenty-five years living as a bachelor. But they'd learned how to live as a family, and laugh and joke with each other more often than not.
Harm wasn't sure how much joking they'd be doing tonight if he didn't make it back to the house in time. Colonel Jenkins' staff had planned the party to be thrown at the Embassy tonight. Since the party was to celebrate Mac's new position and have her meet a lot of the top brass in the British Government the Colonel would no doubt be complaining about in the near future, he had made sure to work around Harm's schedule so that he could escort Mac to the party. Since Harm was a new CO on the London base the Colonel insisted he be able to attend. Unfortunately, Harm had been in and out of town for the first few months he was in London trying to get a better understanding of who exactly was running things in the other JAG offices throughout Europe; more importantly he needed to know how they were running them.
As the highest-ranking JAG on the continent, if things went wrong, the blame was going to fall on his shoulders. Harm had simply vowed to make sure everything was running smoothly at all the offices that reported to him. And if they weren't, he was usually on the next flight out. The officers serving under him had quickly adjusted to this delicate mix of a hands-on approach with just enough leeway to allow them to be comfortable doing their jobs, and Harm hadn't been out of town for the last three weeks. It was at that point when the Colonel figured it was safe for the Ambassador to go ahead and plan the next reception, and flat out ordered Harm to hand the work off to someone else if it were going to take him out of London the weekend of the reception. Having only been a Captain for less than a year, Harm wasn't about to disobey that particular order.
The reception was to be a formal dinner engagement, and Harm just hoped that they would have a vegetarian option. After an incredibly long week at the office, most of which he spent in court prosecuting a sailor accused of illegal drug trafficking, all he really wanted was a decent meal since he'd somehow managed to skip lunch. Hopefully, the party would be a fun way for him and Mac to spend the evening since they hadn't done too much on their own once Mac and Mattie moved to London. Harm jerked to a halt as he stopped in the driveway, and was halfway out the car door before he even shut off the engine. It was a good thing the Navy paid to have his Corvette shipped to London, or he might not have made it in time. He was suddenly glad that they hadn't found off base housing yet, and that it only took him eight minutes to get across the base…if he fudged the speed limit a little… maybe a lot.
Harm burst through the front door of the house and stopped dead in his tracks. Mac was coming out of the master bedroom…and she was drop dead gorgeous. Wearing the same maroon dress she wore the night of their engagement, she had done her hair so the dark, wavy locks fell across her shoulders and bounced just slightly as she walked. Harm loved to watch her move in that dress, to watch her leg slide in and out of the long slit in the gown as she walked.
Mac had come out of the bedroom ready to take a mile wide strip off of Harm's backside for being late, but stopped herself when she saw the look of total admiration on his face when he walked in the front door. Before she could even form a word, he'd crossed the hall and swept her into a passionate embrace, kissing her so ardently that when they broke, she was breathless.
"You look absolutely stunning," Harm said in a low, loving voice. "I'm sorry I'm late. I could have killed the defense attorney this kid has. It was like he knew I had somewhere important to be and was dragging out the hearing on purpose." Harm kissed her forehead and hurried into the bedroom.
"You have exactly eight minutes to get ready or we won't make it in time. And you need to shave again."
"I need to shower first, and lay out my…uniform." Harm paused mid-sentence as he noticed his uniform was laid out all ready to go, medals arranged perfectly, on the bed. "Thank you," he said as he hurried off to the bathroom.
"You're welcome. I was home all afternoon just waiting until I needed to get ready."
"I thought you went into work this morning?" Harm's voice was muffled behind the wall now. Mac heard the water turn on and raised her voice slightly, standing just inside the bathroom door so he could hear her.
"The Colonel called and told me to stay home. He and the staff were all busy making last minute preparations for dinner tonight, everything work related was put on hold until tomorrow because apparently you can do that in politics, and there wasn't anything pressing he needed me to do."
"That was nice of him. Hey, how come he couldn't have gotten me the day off too?"
"Very funny."
"Who's joking?" Harm said sarcastically, and shut off the water as he grabbed a towel and climbed out of the shower.
"That was fast. I'm impressed, sailor. You're skills are improving."
"Comes from living with a teenager who uses all the hot water." Harm added on quickly, seeing the look in her eye, "And I do need to shave." He shuddered. "Ugh. I hate having a five o'clock shadow."
Mac chuckled. "I kind of like the ruggedly handsome look on you, but that's not really what we're going for tonight."
Harm grinned. "You don't think your boss would be impressed if I walked in looking like a ragamuffin?" He finished shaving and quickly gelled his hair, spiking his bangs up in the front.
"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." Harm just grinned at her. "You know, I haven't been to one of these things since the Surface Warfare Ball."
"You're kidding."
"No…You have? When?"
"Um…a couple years ago," he answered vaguely.
"Why do I think another James Bond stunt was involved?"
"I wasn't wearing a tux. I had on a Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops…No, wait. That wasn't the last time. I was wearing a suit that time…actually, well, it was more like a waiter's uniform... Definitely not as much drama as the Sudanese Embassy party. Beth diffused the bomb, and we went on our way." Now completely dressed, Harm was heading out of the bedroom but Mac stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"Bomb?"
Harm just stared at her. "Did I say that out loud?"
"What bomb, Harm? And why did your partner have to diffuse it? The Company has people who do that sort of thing for a living."
"Because I diffused the last one; it was her turn. Come on Mac, we gotta go." He glanced around. "Mattie's not home?"
"She's having dinner with her friend, Danielle. And don't change the subject."
"What subject?" he asked innocently, as they climbed into the car.
"You're incorrigible."
Harm laughed. "No, I just never get to share stories of my days as double-oh-Rabb." Mac just shook her head. The mood was light, they were already enjoying each other's company, and the evening was off to a perfect start since they pulled out of the driveway exactly eight minutes after Harm arrived at the house.
Later that Evening…
American Embassy
London, England
Harm and Mac were enjoying the evening immensely. The dinner had been a full, very extravagant seven course meal. And much to Harm's delight, a vegetarian plate had been set in front of him for every course. Mac had just smiled as she carefully cut into her prime rib.
For several hours Harm and Mac had enjoyed meeting all the new faces in the room. Now, the couple was enjoying each other's company on the dance floor. After a whirlwind of introductions to all the important officials from the British government, they were glad to finally have a few moments to themselves. The orchestra started playing a tango, and Mac couldn't help but smile at the mischievous grin Harm got on his face as he abruptly started leading her in an obviously well practiced manner across the dance floor.
"Since when do you tango?"
"My mom made me take lessons when I was a junior in high school."
"She made you? What about football? You had time for dancing lessons?"
Harm smiled as he pulled her in close and did a snap turn taking them in the opposite direction. "We went on the weekends. She was my dance partner."
"Come to think of it, we're usually too preoccupied at these things for you to show off your dance skills."
"No kidd-" Harm stopped mid-sentence as all the lights in the embassy went out without warning. The couple stopped moving, as did everyone else on the dance floor, and Harm pulled Mac in close so he could whisper in her ear. "Are we on a mission I don't know about?"
"We'd better not be. That doesn't mean someone else on the guest list isn't though."
"I'm not sure I like that option any better."
While the guests were quietly whispering to each other and trying not to panic over what was most likely a simple power outage, twenty-five men dressed in Marine uniforms emerged from various doors located around the large ballroom. They all drew their side arms several seconds before the lights came back on.
Already on alert from the lights being out, Harm's eyes quickly adapted to the darkness and he saw the shadows emerging from the doors and the tables. Satisfied that everyone had stopped moving, he grabbed Mac's arm, whispering for her to stay quiet and pulled her under a table on the far end of the room away from all the movement he saw. Just before he pulled the tablecloth down, he heard the rounds being chambered into several pistols throughout the room and the lights snapped back on.
One Marine in the group, now standing ominously in the middle of the room and brandishing a sidearm, wasn't an imposter. Colonel Jenkins recognized him right away, demanding an explanation. "Sergeant Brown, what is going on here?" The Colonel didn't say anything else as Brown quickly pointed his weapon at the senior officer. While the two men were making a little noise, Harm and Mac got down on their stomachs with their feet in the air above them, careful not to kick the table or let their feet poke out the other end of the tablecloth. Harm slowly lifted the tablecloth a few inches so they could see what was going on.
Brown gave the Colonel a wicked grin. "Go get everything set up." Five of the men quickly left to carry out the order. Harm watched their movements carefully, realizing just how well organized this particular group of…well, he didn't really know what they were yet. "I would think that was obvious, Colonel. Your Marines are all tied up and secured in the holding cells in the barracks, and my men and I are taking over the embassy." Harm felt a chill go down his spine as Brown looked around the room. "And imagine my good fortune that I was able to capture two O-65 officers tonight instead of just one…Well, well, where did Captain Rabb disappear to? Hmm?"
Mac strengthened her grip on Harm. The five men who had left the room returned hauling several pieces of equipment and several large black bags on wheels. Three left again, apparently to make another trip.
Brown raised his voice as two men began pulling M-16 rifles out of one of the bags and distributing them to the other men. "Ladies, kindly make your way to this side of the room," his voice boomed as he pointed to the left. All the women in the room instantly moved to comply, not wanting to provoke their aggressors. "Lock them in the lounge and post two guards. Not one, two."
The men were gathered up and placed in another room. The military officers, however, were taken to the barracks on the other side of the embassy, and locked in the brig with the rest of the Marines, their hands tightly secured behind their backs with flex cuffs.
Meanwhile, Harm and Mac were waiting under the table for a chance to leave the room and find a better hiding place. Several of Brown's men were still going in and out with heavier pieces of equipment, including a generator.
"This was well planned and well executed," Mac said, her voice barely a whisper.
Harm nodded his agreement. "Do they have all of this stuff at the embassy?"
"I know there're a few generators in storage here. Brown is one of the few people who have access to them. I'm not sure about the other stuff. Brown could have gotten the weapons from the barracks once he turned on the men…I hope they're all okay. Who knows how many people he hurt before the rest of us found out what was happening."
"Whatever happens, it's obvious he thinks it's going to end tonight. He probably placed one of his phony Marines outside to stand guard to keep up appearances. No one is going to miss these people until late tomorrow morning at the earliest. He's got plenty of time to accomplish his goals and get out before any outside help can get to us."
"He never did say what he wanted."
Harm frowned.
"What?"
"He didn't did he?...Mac…all of the men he brought with him…didn't they all look American to you…" Harm let the sentence trail off, as he became lost in thought.
"Well they're not speaking with accents, I suppose they could be, but I don't think we can make that assumption…Why?"
"He didn't claim to have some kind of grievance, or want revenge, or refer to anyone as a hostage." Mac looked at him curiously, raising her eyebrows in silent question. "I don't think they're terrorists, Mac."
"All right, James Bond, I'm listening."
"Doesn't this look more like a rehearsed military operation to you, instead of an act of terrorism?"
It only took Mac a second to realize how accurate that statement seemed. Brown and his men had to know the layout of the embassy very well in order to carry out their tasks with such precision. They were using the weapons they acquired with ease. The men with Brown took orders without question. No hostages, just people they needed to perhaps get out of the way. A military operation indeed. "Okay, I'll bite. If they're military, whom are they working for?"
"When I figure it out, I'll let you know."
They stopped whispering as more men came into the room with more supplies, this time technical equipment. Five of them stood around a table in the far corner as they began setting up laptops, web cams, a base radio for the walkie-talkies the intruders had, as well as a security camera monitoring station.
"So much for sneaking around and finding out what's going on."
"The last time we snuck around we got caught, and-"
Mac waited for him to finish, but he never did. "And what? And don't you dare say never mind."
Despite the fact that Harm was whispering, Mac could still tell his voice was heavy with emotion. "We got caught and…I almost lost you."
Mac had an instant flashback of Mochak sending the vile with the Ebola virus towards Harm who caught it just milliseconds before it shattered on the floor. "Ditto, sailor."
"We need a plan, Mac, we can't just hide under here forever."
"You're asking me?" Mac was stunned.
"You're the Marine."
"You're the ex-spy! Weren't you just telling me you've done this before?"
As if a higher power was providing them with a solution, all the men left the room except for one that was monitoring the security equipment.
"Wait here," Harm whispered before giving Mac a light kiss. Mac kept an eye on the doors as he slowly made his way out from under the table and across the room as quiet as a mouse, using various tables for cover. The man watching the security monitors was completely oblivious to his presence with his back in the direction Harm was approaching from. He was about six feet away from his target when another guard walked into the room and walked right past the table Mac was hiding under. Seeing that the new threat intended to shoot first and ask questions later, she quickly emerged from her hiding place. Mac took the man out with one solid karate chop to the back of the neck. Harm took his opponent out by cutting off his air supply with a tight arm around his neck and pulled him onto the floor. They both landed with a thud at almost exactly the same time.
Harm pointed to the table in the farthest corner of the room. "Let's put them over there." Mac helped Harm drag the men to the other side of the room and carefully arranged the tablecloth so that they couldn't be seen.
"Are we still improvising?"
"No. I'm gonna see if I can get a hold of Admiral Hines," Harm replied pulling out his cell phone. Admiral Hines was Harm's CO at the London Navy base. Hopefully, he'd have some suggestions, or orders, to impart. While Harm made the call, Mac collected the weapons and gear from the men now shoved unceremoniously under the table. "This is Captain Rabb, I need to speak to Admiral Hines, it's an emergency."
I'm sorry, Captain, the Admiral left on vacation this afternoon. He can't be reached by anyone but the SecNav until he returns Monday morning.
"Is he out of the country?"
Yes, sir, he is.
"Put me in touch with whomever he left in charge then. And make it fast."
That would be Captain Masker, sir, I'll put you right through.
The line went dead before Harm could thank the polite petty officer that had answered the phone. "What the hell?" Harm cursed as he ripped the phone away from his ear.
"Dropped call?"
"Yeah, but I had a full signal I don't see why-"
Harm stopped and dragged Mac through the nearby doorway just as Brown and several of his men reentered the room. "… will block any listening device or radio wave within a quarter mile radius of the embassy," one of the men was informing Brown. Harm shot Mac an exasperated look.
"You left men to guard the transponder?"
"Yes, sir. The phone lines are cut. No calls can come in or out of the embassy."
"Good. The Colonel is comfortable?"
"Yes, sir, we locked him upstairs in the VIP guest suite. He's not going anywhere."
"Excellent. Where's Smith? I thought I told him to stay here and monitor the equipment?" No one answered, and a knot slowly started forming in the pit of Harm's stomach. "Find him! Gates, you stay here for now. Everything else is on schedule?"
"The download is only at thirty-three percent, Drake is working on increasing the speed."
"Good. The rest of you know what to look for. Get going."
Harm put his back flat against the wall as the men dispersed, but thankfully, no one came in their direction. "Do you know where the guest suite is?"
Mac nodded. "It's on the top floor. It's the biggest guest room in the embassy. Members of the Cabinet usually stay there when they're visiting. It's this way," Mac explained handing Harm a pistol and heading for the back staircase.
Harm saw where they were heading and grabbed her elbow. "No, wait. It's probably guarded. Is there a freight elevator?"
"Yeah, right around the corner."
Two more turns and they were there, but Harm had been right; there wasn't anyone guarding it. The doors slid quietly open as soon as Mac pressed the button. Getting inside, Harm simply pushed the door-closed button, wanting a moment to gather his thoughts before charging into the situation upstairs blindly.
Mac seemed to read his mind and started relaying as many details about the upper floor as she could remember. "The guest room will be to the left, the staircase to the right. From the elevator it should be the second door on the left. There're only two rooms on the top floor and the other one is to the right. The room's maybe…twenty feet down the hall which ends at the door, no cover."
"How far is the staircase?"
"Thirty feet in the opposite direction."
Harm nodded, not sure why the fact that the VIP suite took up almost the entire floor surprised him. "They've got the man power. I'd put one guard outside the room and another at the top of the stairs."
"So would I…Do you think we'll be able to drop them without alerting the rest of the embassy?"
Harm pondered that for a moment. Then, digging through his pocket, produced his Swiss army knife and flipped the small blade open. "This is going to hurt me more than you, okay?"
"Are you going to do what I think you're going to do?"
"Probably." Harm smiled sadly and began cutting away the bottom of her dress in a spiral pattern. He took about a foot off the bottom, and when he was done he handed the material to Mac. "Sorry, sweetheart."
"I might forgive you when we get out of this mess," she said as she wrapped the fabric around the barrel of her pistol. "Using dress material as a silencer. This has to be new. I guess I should have expected it to be ruined before the end of the night anyway."
Harm smirked as he took off his bow tie and threw it on the ground. He then removed his uniform jacket and neatly wrapped it around his weapon. "I really hope this works…Well, you're the expert marksman in the family, you wanna take the longer shot?" Mac nodded in agreement. "All right, I say we let the elevator door ding, and then wait to the count of three, pivot out and shoot at the same time. That way we'll cover each other."
"Good idea. Ready?"
"Ready." Harm pressed the button for the seventh floor, and the elevator slowly started to rise.