AN: Thank you to all who have reviewed--they brighten my days.
Secrets and Sacrifices
Part 37
Duncan contacts Sheffield when they stop for their first refueling. He asks if Sheffield can get someone from JAG HQ involved in the Rangers' problems, but has little to offer on Harm's condition. The account is necessarily brief, but enough for Sheffield to call AJ and Mac into his office early the next morning.
"Good morning Mr. Secretary," AJ offers, both he and Mac coming to attention as soon as Sheffield's secretary shows them into the office.
"Have a seat. You're earlier than I expected AJ."
"Your message did say you wanted to see us ASAP, sir. Colonel MacKenzie arrived at the office shortly after I did. I was actually surprised to find you were in already; I would have thought you'd had a long night."
"Actually, I haven't left yet," Sheffield reveals. AJ takes a closer look and notes the lines of fatigue around his eyes, confirming the statement. "I have something I need you to look into."
"The two of us, sir?" Mac asks, speaking for the first time.
"Yes, Colonel. The two of you are, as of this moment, the only ones cleared for the information I'm about to impart to you." He hands each of them a new security badge and some papers to sign. Reading them quickly but thoroughly, AJ and Mac sign their names at the bottom of the forms before handing the papers back. Inwardly, they're curious as to the increase in their security clearances; outwardly, they're ready for whatever assignment Sheffield is preparing to give them. They don't have long to wait as he retrieves a pair of folders from his desk and hands one to each of them.
"I don't understand, sir; these are Army personnel. Why are we involved?" Mac asks after taking a quick look at the contents of the folder.
"That's where it gets complicated. I want the two of you to defend these gentlemen. Charges haven't been filed yet, but it's almost certain they'll be charged with disobeying a direct order and possibly mutiny or desertion and whatever else Army JAG can think of."
"Where are they now, sir?"
"Somewhere between here and the Atlantic."
AJ, who has taken the time to skim through the thin file, thinks he understands. "This has something to do with Rabb's recovery, doesn't it, sir?"
"I don't have all the information; my conversation with Duncan was necessarily brief. General Gordon Danvers sent Captain Todd and his team into the area without the knowledge that there could be a hostage with any terrorists they may come across, or that there were other teams in the area. Since we informed each of the branches of the presence of my team and their objective well before Danvers sent his team into the area, and received confirmation back that the relevant parties had been notified, I can only conclude that he did it deliberately."
"And you don't believe they were acting on their own?"
"I haven't spoken to anyone but Duncan; I don't have an opinion on the matter. I'm going based on the information Duncan gave me—Rabb trusts him implicitly, which makes me do the same."
"Sir, you make it sound like Danvers wanted Harm to be killed," Mac says with confusion. "Have they ever met?"
"Rabb's team has always been my best. They're also the only team to never have lost a team member, whether in training, competition or the field—until now at least. They participated in an inter-service competition a few months ago, winning it with ease. Todd's team was Danvers' chosen team, and he was upset that Todd lost two men, and the competition, while Rabb didn't lose a single man. He accused Rabb and his team of cheating, even brought it up during the final debriefing process. He somehow convinced Todd of his accusations, because there was a fight between Todd's team and Rabb's team after the debrief. Despite the fact that one of Todd's team took the opportunity to try and get Rabb involved in the fight, Rabb ignored him in favor of corralling his team. He imposed his own punishment on the team, including himself in the drudgery he dreamt up to emphasize the meaning of the word 'team.' I don't know what Danvers might have done to Todd, but he was extremely unhappy when his appeal was turned down—the judges couldn't find any evidence Rabb and his team cheated."
"And you believe losing the competition made him angry enough to want to kill him?" AJ asks, attempting to keep the incredulousness out of his voice.
"I don't pretend to understand what goes through the man's mind. All I know is his teams won the competition since he started sending them. I guess he never thought anyone could best his hand-picked teams."
"Have your teams participated in the event before?"
"I didn't know about the competition until last year; I literally found out about it days before it started. I would have liked to have sent Rabb and his team then, but they were out on assignment as was Team 3. Teams 1&2 were on breaks; the only team I had available was 5. Now, don't get me wrong, all of my teams are good, but Rabb brings something extra to his team that makes them even better—I think it has to do with Rabb's complete lack of caring that some of his actions may not always fall under the 'proper' way to do things."
"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" AJ mutters. "That man quite often has more luck than sense."
"Which could be why General Danvers accused him of cheating, sir," Mac points out. "If his tactics were a combination of instinct and training, they were probably quite unorthodox while still being 'legal'."
"You may have a point, although it still doesn't explain why Danvers may have sent his team with false information."
"Let me guess, you want us to look for the answer to that question while trying to clear our clients," AJ states wryly.
"Discretely. I want to have proof before I go to the Secretary of the Army, but I don't want to tip him off either."
AJ and Mac both roll their eyes at the thought that they might make some sort of novice slip that would blow open their investigation. Even AJ, who doesn't generally litigate, much less investigate anymore, has enough common sense not to make any waves on such a sensitive investigation. Then again, Sheffield's probably just nervous because it could be his job on the line if they don't come up with anything and someone finds out about the investigation. "Okay, that was uncalled for; it's just my neck out there if Danvers catches wind of this." He swears softly. "I wish we had more information to start with…"
"Perhaps Captain Todd and his team can shed some more light on the situation when we get a chance to speak to them, sir. Sometimes all that's needed is someone to ask the correct questions; a lot of times the answer isn't obvious until someone outside the situation takes a look at the problem. I'm fairly confident that Todd, and possibly some of his team members, will have information that will at least point us in the right direction."
Something has been bothering AJ since he and Mac entered the room; it's been a while since he's been in Sheffield's office, but there's something different here. "Is this the competition you're talking about?" he asks, pointing out a small object nearly hidden on the desk. The figurine is about the size of a baseball, halved. It doesn't reflect the light like most trophies, to catch the eye, rather it seems to hide in the shadows, absorbing light and blending into the background. The material used is pewter; the subject an intricately rendered jungle. A large cat—a panther by lack of markings—is caught in mid-yowl, its impressive teeth bared at some unseen enemy.
Sheffield follows his gaze. "You know about the competition?"
"I've heard of it, never participated. A few of my former teammates joined teams that participated, though once they all stopped participating in field work, I stopped getting updates. It's for the best of the best…he's that good?" AJ's selfish side wants the answer to be negative—he wants to get his former officer back; the unselfish side is proud of Harm and his accomplishments in yet another career area, and he wouldn't dream of taking such a competent officer away from where he might be needed most.
"Yes. Unfortunately it seems to be more instinctive than learned, so he's not had much luck teaching his techniques to the rest of the team leaders. I think part of the problem is their inability to get past their training—they just can't seem to let those lessons go and try something different."
"Well, Rabb's always been good at getting around the rules…"
Mac has been studying the figure closely, fascinated by the detail rendered in the soft metal. "What is this exactly, sir? There's no inscription, and it doesn't look like any trophy I've ever seen."
"This is the large version that is given to the winning team leader; if you look carefully, you're supposed to be able to see the year in it somewhere, but I haven't found it yet. A somewhat smaller version is also given to each of the other members of the winning team. The date's on the bottom of those, something like might be stamped as a manufacturing year. I think the difference is that someone assumes the team leaders must have an office or at least a cubby hole somewhere they call home to display it—Rabb sent me his because he said he didn't have any room to carry it with him."
"The date is right here," AJ points out the numbers made into rocks beside what could possibly be a stream running along the outside edge of the piece. "One of my old teammates pointed it out to me when he got his. That's the only difference from year to year, and it's so subtle that unless you know exactly where to look, anyone who has more than one can just say they're part of a set. From my understanding, due to the nature of the competition and the career paths of the participants, this design was decided upon—rather than a trophy or some sort of item that would stand out—simply because as much as they wanted others to know of the outcome, they wanted a subtle way of doing it that would not jeopardize a team member should it be found. Those who know what it's for, know; those who don't just think it's an interesting paperweight."
Although intrigued by the turn in conversation, Mac believes it's time to get things back on track—she has court that afternoon and wants to look over her notes. "What else you can tell us about the situation we are going to be looking into, sir?"
Sheffield sighs, preferring to avoid the upcoming portion of the conversation. He picks up the figurine, turns it over in his hands a few times, and then abruptly thrusts it at AJ. "I assume you'll be providing him with an office somewhere—would you make sure this gets placed in there for him?"
"Aren't you going to be seeing him?" AJ asks, concerned now that Sheffield might be cutting Harm loose.
"Of course. But he won't take it from me. He's drastically exceeded my expectations as both team and command leader, and I want those who would recognize it to see it where it belongs."
Mac places the small trophy and both files in her briefcase while AJ asks the question she's dying to, sending the conversation off on another tangent. "Why send him to JAG if he's doing so well?"
"Frankly because the man needs a break, but he's too stubborn to take one. I've lost count of the number of opportunities I've engineered for him to take leave; he ignored each and every one to fly, study or do research. When I got the go for this new JAG position we thought it would be the perfect way to get him some downtime…he jumbled all my carefully laid plans less than 24 hours after he accepted his current position, now they're all jumbled again."
"What do you mean, sir?" Mac asks, her concern for her friend making her question sharper than she would otherwise have intended.
Sheffield ignores her tone, not really hearing it in light of the other information Duncan imparted; the information he'd like to have more details for, but at the same time forget he heard at all. "Todd's orders were to stop anyone from leaving the area; he was told anyone he would encounter would be a member of the terrorist organization he was being sent to destroy, and given orders authorizing him to use deadly force to make sure no one got away." He holds up a hand forestalling the comments both officers seem to want to make. "To stop the vehicle, they shot out the tires, causing it to roll several times before it finally came to rest in a ditch. Those who were still conscious after that weren't about to surrender peacefully—Todd and his team were in the process of destroying the last vestiges of that resistance when Team 4 found them. Somewhere along the line one of the members of O was killed; Duncan said he thought Jack was responsible, but he wouldn't tell me why."
"Sir, perhaps the shooting was an accident," Mac reasons. "Did he happen to mention if they were bringing him back in custody?"
AJ waits only until Mac has finished speaking before adding his own questions. "O? Is that the Ranger team?"
Sheffield seats himself in his chair, closes his eyes and rests his head against the back of the chair to free his unconscious mind to help him recall the conversation he'd had with Duncan. Five minutes tick by slowly to Mac's internal clock before Sheffield opens his eyes. "He said the Ranger medic and the CIA pilot were with Standes, watching over Rabb on an Osprey; he was following on the helo with Sharpe, Paine, Jerry, the remainder of the Ranger team and Kivers' body," he murmurs, mostly to himself. "I don't believe he mentioned Jack as being on either the helo or Osprey. And O is the designator for Team 4—1 is A, 2 is E, 3 I, 4 O, 5 U. The letters make it easier to keep everyone straight during an op."
"Why a helo and an Osprey?"
"Because we didn't want to give Sadik time to formulate any plans, I requested that Rabb be brought to Washington as soon as possible. I left the details up to Captain McKnight on the Reprisal since he has more knowledge than I do as to the type of aircraft he can get into the air, although I had assumed he'd at least be able to get him in the back seat of an F-18 or even an F-14." Clearly reluctant to say what he knows, as if not saying it will make it not true, Sheffield hesitates again. He's dealing with observant people, though, and both AJ and Mac know what's coming next.
"He's hurt worse than just the shrapnel wounds sustained after he was forced down," AJ guesses correctly.
"I don't have any details, just a warning that he's in bad shape, but—at least as far as the physician on the Reprisal can tell—not in any danger…" The ringing of a telephone startles AJ and Mac and saves Sheffield from having to admit how little he knows about Harm's condition. Mac sneaks a quick glance at AJ, who is watching Sheffield pick up a phone behind the desk, not on it. Similar thoughts run through their minds—Sheffield instructed his secretary when they arrived that he didn't want to be disturbed for anything short of the President calling or the start of WWIII. "Yes," Sheffield says into the handset. A mostly one-sided conversation ensues, with only an occasional cryptic utterance and the sound of hasty notes being taken to indicate Sheffield hasn't merely forgotten about them.
As it appears Sheffield will be a while—and since it doesn't sound like the President calling or the start of WWIII—AJ and Mac quietly begin to discuss possible strategies for their investigation and defense. They become so engrossed in their own conversation that they don't notice when Sheffield ends the first call and makes another. It's only when Sheffield ends the second call and rejoins them that Mac realizes that nearly an hour has passed.
"Sorry about the interruption," Sheffield apologizes, looking like he aged several years in that one hour. "That was Duncan; the Osprey experienced a minor problem on the way to Roosevelt Roads, and the pilot, a Major Asher, didn't want to risk the rest of the journey without a thorough check of his aircraft. He had the presence of mind to call ahead to give them time to ready another aircraft because he wasn't sure how long his inspection would take, or what it would turn up. Waiting for them was a Lear jet; apparently the pilot overheard someone discussing the most suitable aircraft they had available and volunteered himself and the jet."
"With everything that's happened they just got aboard an aircraft with an unknown pilot?" Mac questions incredulously and then adds belatedly, "Sir."
"I don't know how he even got onto the base much less involved in the conversation, but he left the man he was supposed to be flying off the base high and dry. Duncan's offered him a seat on the Osprey which is now fixed and ready to go. Duncan gave me the pilot's name—Jack Keeter—and asked me to run a check on him. When Asher made a comment about landing at Andrews, Keeter remarked it wouldn't be a problem as he'd landed there many times before. He also asked me to check on the CIA pilot, a Gary Hochausen…what?" he asks Mac, noticing the small smile that starts when Keeter's name is mentioned and turns to puzzlement for a brief moment before returning to a faltering smile when he utters the second name.
"Sir, I've met both of those men. Jack Keeter went to the Academy with Harm; he occasionally accepts black ops missions. Gary Hochausen was Harm's mentor. I'm more surprised to hear he's still a pilot than I am to hear he left the Navy and is working for the CIA. Partly due to his diminishing vision, one of his flight instructors clipped a power line, lost control of his Tomcat and had to eject. The jet crashed into a car, killing a woman and her infant son. Captain Hochausen was just going to let his instructor take the blame, but after recreating the flight with Harm and I in the Tomcat, he made a rookie mistake during his landing, which made Harm suspicious. During the trial, Harm proved that the captain cheated on his eye exams, ultimately putting lives at risk by his refusal to face facts."
"If I recall the case correctly, Rabb was prosecuting and you were defending," AJ comments. He remembers the slightly dejected look on Harm's face when they returned from that case.
"You are correct, sir. I was planning on calling a young lieutenant, Schiparelli if I remember correctly, who worshiped Captain Hochausen. Harm apparently took one look at Schiparelli and chose to prove the captain's shortcomings himself. He tried to patch things up with his mentor after the trial…he sacrificed the relationship they'd had in the name of truth."
"That doesn't sound like he'd be very motivated in helping Rabb out, but from the reports I've gotten, he's the one that lead the team to the camp just in time to see the trucks pull out. Now I'm even more interested in whatever Maxwell can find on him."
As if conjured by his name being spoken, Sheffield's aide, Robert Maxwell, knocks briefly before entering the office with a stack of papers. "I took the liberty of making copies of my findings," he states, handing a third of the papers to each of the occupants of the room. "Can I get you anything else?" Receiving a negative reply, he exits the room, leaving Sheffield, AJ and Mac engrossed in the profiles he put together.
"Things are starting to make sense now," Sheffield comments. "Losing his own family must have made Hochausen realize just why Rabb chose to pursue the truth rather than sweep things under the rug. And it looks like his friend Keeter is now officially working for the CIA." Sure enough, shortly after the events surrounding the stealth jet, Keeter resigned his commission in the US Navy and joined the ranks of the CIA. Although much of the information on his actions since joining is classified, Maxwell managed to discover he'd been assigned to the air wing, flying various CIA officials wherever they felt the need to go. The man Keeter left high and dry in Puerto Rico, cursing his disappearing pilot, is probably a fairly high ranked CIA agent.
Into the silence brought by their perusal of the documents provided by Maxwell, Mac asks, "Sir, did Duncan give you any further news on Harm's condition?" It's the question she and AJ have been anxious to have answered and the one Sheffield has been just as anxious to avoid.
"I still don't have specifics because Duncan doesn't have specifics and he doesn't want to speculate. Now, ordinarily you'd be correct in saying I am simply withholding information, but this time I really don't have it. Your Lt. Commander Austin reported that Sadik discovered Rabb is the one who foiled his plans and destroyed his Stingers in Paraguay. She said he was beaten and not allowed to sleep, eat or drink. Duncan did tell me Rabb was injured escaping from the embassy, was too close to the plane when it exploded and was tortured and beaten again by Sadik and his men before the truck he was in rolled. Sadik also knows he is Commander Post, which seemed to just make him even more determined to do unspeakable things to Rabb—only one of which he had the opportunity to carry out. We know Sadik was using the hostages in the Embassy to lure Rabb to him; he apparently has a base somewhere that he was planning on taking him to when he got his hands on him. It is my opinion they were in the process of transporting him there when Todd and his team intercepted the truck which is why we are inclined to look into the matter between him and Danvers."
Neither AJ nor Mac welcomes the change in topics; AJ is not inclined to let it happen without one last effort at getting a straight answer. "What you're saying is we're going to have to wait until Rabb is back in Washington before we can get answers about his condition. What then, am I supposed to tell his mother?"
Sheffield realizes he has lost control of this conversation somewhere along the line; he just can't get them to stay away from the topics he wants to avoid. He didn't enjoy the first phone call with Harm's mother, and doesn't want to do another one without as much information as he can possibly get—besides, what are a few more hours when the woman is on the opposite side of the country? "What does his mother have to do with anything? She'll be contacted when we have given the doctors at Bethesda sufficient time to determine the extent of his injuries and what, if any, recovery time he's looking at."
AJ drops a bombshell that blows all of Sheffield's attempts to dodge out of the water. "Actually, sir, she's probably at JAG by now. She's not the type to just sit back and let someone tell her when she can visit her son. Not bothering him while he's 'on assignment' is one thing, but you can't keep her away when he's injured—even Rabb has found it difficult to deny her the information she wants when she sets her mind to it."
"What is she doing at JAG?" Sheffield practically thunders. "I told her I'd contact her when we had more information."
"I took the liberty of including a message to her with the letter Colonel MacKenzie forwarded explaining he was returning to my command, albeit in a slightly different position. She wants details—even the messy ones—not squeaky clean press releases that don't tell her anything. I think that after losing her husband, she decided she wanted to know everything that happened to her son, no matter how horrible it might be to hear. I spoke to her quite extensively after Rabb was rescued from the Atlantic and she said that hearing no news was worse than hearing bad news," AJ explains calmly.
"It sounds like she's a little overprotective of her son."
"Wouldn't you be, sir?" Mac questions. "For nearly 30 years she didn't know what happened to her husband other than he'd been shot down and not found by our people. Then her son disappears to look for him at the age of 16—if Harm knew then what he knows now he probably would have found him. Eight years ago he and I traveled to Russia following a trail of evidence he'd begun to uncover the year before. I know she got the news that they shot us down; I can't imagine what she must have felt at that point, to have lost her son while he was looking for his missing father. I'm surprised she even let him out of her sight after that."
"Rabb doesn't strike me as the type of man who would let his mother mother him; he's too independent."
"I don't think he would have had any say in the matter—I'm sure he learned how to be so stubborn from her example. His mother is a force to be reckoned with; rank doesn't impress her if she thinks you have information she believes she needs. I wouldn't keep anything from her regarding her son—other than classified information, of course; work with her and I'm sure you'll find her amiable and gracious."
There is an almost mischievous glimmer in Sheffield's eyes as he mulls over AJ's advice. "I'll defer to your experience in dealing with Mrs. Burnett; in fact, I'd like you to see to it she has everything she needs, not only in regards to information, but also lodging and transportation. I'll make sure you're notified when Rabb arrives at Bethesda," Sheffield offers, abruptly dismissing them by turning his attention to a file he randomly chooses from a drawer. Mac tosses the papers distributed by Maxwell in her briefcase and the two slightly confused officers come to attention briefly before exiting the office. Before the door completely closes behind them Sheffield flips open the cellular phone that had just begun to vibrate against his leg.