Okay, we're close to the end now. I figure one more chapter, possibly two, depending on how long it takes to wrap up all the threads and set the stage for my next outing. As always, hope you enjoy.
Chapter 37
Wednesday,
FBI headquarters,
Los Angeles, CA
1555 Local
Don rose from his chair, his pleasure at seeing Agent Edgerton at war with his reaction to the man's last statement. Harm felt no such conflict as he surged to his feet, putting himself between Edgerton and the conference room, "Who the hell are you?"
"Easy, Rabb," Don held up a hand, "He's one of the good guys. This is Special Agent Ian Edgerton, one of the top five snipers in the world."
"Top four," Ian corrected mildly, holding up four fingers. He directed a smile at Charlie, who was approaching with his own grin, "Hey Professor, how're you doing? I heard what happened at CalSci."
"I'm okay," Charlie ducked his head a bit, still inexplicably embarrassed by the whole thing. "What are you doing here?" He'd been deep in his conversation with Larry when the sound of Harm hurriedly getting out of his chair had gotten both men's attention. His concern had turned to pleasure when he finally saw Ian. Even if Edgerton hadn't saved his life, Charlie believed they still would have become friends. In his own way, Ian was as much a prodigy as Charlie. Their first couple of meetings had been rocky but then each had come to appreciate the other's talents.
"He says he's here to assassinate Mac," Don supplied, leaning against his desk and raising an eyebrow at Edgerton.
"What?!" Charlie's eyes widened as his gaze shot from Ian to Harm to his brother.
"Relax, Charile, I don't need the extra money that badly," Ian shoved himself off the doorframe and walked further into the room, nodding to David and Colby.
"Who hired you?" Don asked. The obvious choice was Carson Bander but he doubted the man would be that open. The question was, could they get him to come out of the shadows?
Ian shrugged, "Don't know yet. The contract came through a guy I know."
Harm regarded the man suspiciously. Everything about him screamed dangerous. "And you're not worried about being recognized?"
Ian gave the Naval Commander an amused look, "Well, it's not like there's paparazzi following me around. Besides, most snipers are recognized by their work, not their faces."
"You can say that again," Granger muttered quietly. David glanced at the younger agent, raising a questioning eyebrow. Colby kept his voice low while continuing to stare at Edgerton, "He did a tour in Afghanistan while I was there. Never saw him in person but we always knew where he'd been. The Taliban thought he was the devil incarnate. The man's a legend." He finally looked at David with a bit of awe, "I can't believe you guys know him."
"Since when do you shop around for contract hits?" Don relaxed a little now that Rabb didn't seem intent on mixing it up with Edgerton.
"I don't but an acquaintance of mine contacted me - said I'd be interested in the specifics. He was right," Ian glanced at Harm and the conference room just beyond before looking back at Don. "Military lawyers, and female ones at that, don't usually rate a hit - especially for the amount being offered." He then leveled a longer look at Harm, "Of course, when I heard the name, it made more sense. What have you two been up to now?"
"Up to?" Harm managed to look indignant as he jerked a thumb at Don, "It's his case."
"What's going on?"
Harm turned to find Megan standing in the conference room doorway with Mac close behind. The agent had her arms folded as she regarded the men in front of her. Mac, uncharacteristically, was leaning against the door frame looking a bit pale. Harm started to move towards her but stopped at the barest shake of her head.
Don spoke up, "Megan, this is Ian - "
"Edgerton," Megan finished, "I know. One of the top ten snipers in the world."
"Top fo - ," Ian paused, catching the tiny hint of a smile and then chuckled as he shook a finger at her, "Funny." He turned back to Don, "Is this how you raise your team?"
Don gave an elaborate shrug, "Kids these days." At the same time, he caught Megan's eye and tipped his head in Mac's direction, raising his eyebrow a fraction. He caught the unspoken 'later' even as she returned her attention to Ian and smiled.
"To what do we owe the pleasure, Agent Edgerton?"
"He's been hired to kill Mac." Don watched the Colonel straighten as her eyes widened in shock. That was followed swiftly by anger as she moved towards Edgerton. Harm deftly intercepted her, halting her forward progress. That didn't stop both JAG officers from glaring at Edgerton. Don had to admit, they were an intimidating couple.
Ian was unperturbed, "Colonel MacKenzie, I presume?" He gestured with his coffee mug, "Damn, woman, it looks like someone already tried." Ian glanced around the room, growing serious, "Would someone like to tell me what's going on?"
Don started, with David, Megan and Charlie jumping in to add their parts. Neither Mac nor Harm said anything at all. Mac walked over to the chair Harm had vacated and sat down. Harm moved in behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. He could feel the tension there but he was fairly certain it wasn't entirely due to Edgerton. Unfortunately, he also knew he'd probably have to wait until they were alone before she'd talk to him. Since it no doubt had something to do with Kate and Avis, it was a safe bet that Mac wouldn't want an audience.
Ian shook his head as the others finished their narrative, "Man, you do pull the interesting cases, don't you?" He glanced around the room until his gaze settled on Mac He studied her before he spoke, trying to get a feel for the Marine Colonel. She was a little younger than he'd expected for a light bird colonel but from what he'd seen of her record, she'd earned her position. More importantly, MacKenzie didn't seem like the type to panic. Edgerton had an idea of what he wanted to try. If he was reading the signs correctly, his biggest problem was currently hovering just behind the Colonel. Commander Rabb was more than a little protective, "I guess we'd better figure out the best way to kill you."
Thursday,
Liwanu Enterprises
Los Angeles, CA
0920 Local
Bander squinted at the computer screen, muttered a soft expletive and pulled a pair of reading glasses out of his desk drawer. Adjusting them on his nose, he began reading again. So far, there'd been very little open protest about Margery taking over Liwanu so suddenly. He hadn't expected much overt resistance. The subterfuge, however, was probably kicking into high gear. Bander smiled to himself. Let them try. Margery would cut them off at the knees without even breaking a sweat.
Leaning back in his chair, Bander glanced around the office. Stepping down was the right decision. He needed to concentrate his energies if he was going to salvage anything out of the multiple disasters that had occurred. Fortunately, politics as usual was keeping the state government in turmoil so there was still an outside chance, albeit, a very small one. Bander couldn't help the scowl that chased across his features. How could he have misread the signs so completely? Unable to sit still, Bander tossed his glasses on the desk and stood up. He began to pace, going over everything again and again. The thing was, the more he thought about it, the more he was positive that he hadn't misread anything. MacKenzie and Professor Eppes, it was those two who had ruined everything.
Bander scrubbed a hand through his hair. Okay, to be scrupulously fair, he probably owned a small portion of the blame as well. His disdain for the bloated and corrupt government as well as his contempt for its puling bureaucrats had spilled over and he'd underestimated both the JAG officers and the FBI. In hindsight, he never should have added McKlellan into his plans. The last-minute temptation to seek justice from that whole sorry clan had been too great. It had also apparently proved to be the grain of sand that disrupted the smooth flow of his plans. He still thought he might have pulled it off if it hadn't been for Charles Eppes. Bander hadn't fully believed the man's reputation for genius before, but he did now. He didn't think anyone else could have pulled together so many disparate facts quickly enough to thwart Husam's portion of his plans.
He also firmly believed he might have saved something if he'd heeded what he now saw as warnings from his ancestors. That he hadn't was a direct result of having been deceived and lied to by MacKenzie. How the hell she'd managed to do that while stuffed to the gills with peyote only proved the depths of her treachery. He'd been fooled by her beauty, never suspecting the pure evil that lurked beneath. Removing such a traitorous and unsavory influence from society was now a sacred duty and he'd already taken steps in that direction. It had been somewhat nerve-wracking. Bander was moving in unfamiliar territory. He'd googled hate groups, correctly figuring that they would know the type of person he needed. After cautiously entering various chat rooms, he'd found a lead about a classified ads website that claimed to be able to find any type of service for a price. From there, he'd put out a careful inquiry and received a surprising number of responses.
It was amazing and somewhat appalling to learn how many people were enthusiastically ready and willing kill a complete stranger. Three-quarters of them were hate-crazed crackpots that he could easily dismiss. The remainder, however, were tough to sort through. Eventually, one in particular had intrigued him. The man maintained that he wasn't the right guy for the job but that he had a colleague who was. Further correspondence had only whetted Bander's curiosity. They had finally struck a tentative agreement. Most of the key details had been hammered out: the fee required (plus a commission of sorts for the man who had initially suggested his colleague) and method of payment; the identity of the target and the proof required that the job was complete. The only dispute had been that the sniper insisted on meeting Bander face-to-face once MacKenzie was dead. He could understand the man's reasoning. Having each being able to identity the other made for equal diligence in avoiding the law.
Bander sighed deeply. That was one thing he didn't want to do and he'd seriously considered calling off the deal. However, that would have meant starting over again looking for another shooter and Bander had found he really didn't have the patience for it. It was one thing to hate the government for its systematic genocide of his people; it was quite another to hate merely out of some sort of demented sense of superiority. Wading through those people the first time had left him torn between wanting to drop a bomb on the whole sorry lot or taking a long, hot shower. He hadn't wanted to do it again.
Bander stopped by the window and looked out across the city. When they'd made contact again for the final details, he'd acquiesced to the last demand. It would be for the greater good and it would keep MacKenzie from collaborating with Eppes on any further interference. So far, the mess had been largely contained and he intended to keep it that way.
Thursday,
FBI Headquarters
Los Angeles, CA
1130 Local
"I don't like this," Harm muttered for what seemed like the hundredth time. Mac didn't say anything. She was probably less thrilled than he was but it didn't seem as if she had much choice. Bander now wanted her dead and it had been ironic as hell that he'd unknowingly chosen the FBI's top sniper to do it. This was the best chance they'd have to catch the bastard. She hoped Edgerton was as good as he thought he was since all of this hinged on him shooting her. It was a ploy so old that it was practically a cliche but no one had any better ideas so that was what they were going with. As ridiculous as it sounded, Mac was grateful Bander had settled on shooting. There were so many nastier ways to die.
General Cresswell was on board with the plan. He wasn't happy about it either but then, there was damned little about this entire case to be happy about. Senator Coughlin and the McKlellan family had been grief-stricken to hear of Bradley's unconfirmed death and absolutely enraged at the charges he would have faced. Sensitive to their position, it was no wonder that the rage all but overpowered the grief. Most of it was directed at Harm and herself, along with a healthy portion reserved for the FBI. Cresswell was stubbornly dug in, categorically refusing to blame either of his JAG officers for so something obviously out of their control. The SecNav was busily tap-dancing between the two factions, trying to salvage his political aspirations while not appearing to be caving before the powerful and rich McKlellans. He was apparently aware that Cresswell and JAG were in the right but Mac figured it was just a matter of time before he decided it was all about survival and went the scapegoat route.
"Mac? Colonel?"
Mac reluctantly pulled her focus back to the present and looked at Colby, "Hmmm?"
"It's getting close to time. I need to attach this." He hefted the blood pack in his hand while trying not to look too worried. He had absolute faith that Edgerton would fulfill his end of the charade but he wasn't as sanguine about Mac's mental state. Timing was critical and her concentration was no where near what it had been before the abduction. If there'd been any choice in the matter, he would have advocated waiting a couple more days to give her more time to recover. He knew without asking that Rabb and Don fully concurred. The problem, of course, was that Bander was, quite literally, calling the shots.
Eyeing the pack with distaste, Mac began unbuttoning her uniform top revealing the lightweight body armor she had on underneath. Being in LA had its perks. Granger had come up with a blood pack like they used in the movies. When Edgerton hit her, there would be a wonderfully realistic bloodstain to ruin her uniform.
Don walked in while Colby was finishing attaching the pack. He nodded quietly as Mac rebuttoned her top, "That looks good. I don't think anyone will be able to tell you've got body armor on."
"You want to tell me again why Edgerton has to use live ammo?" Harm asked sourly from where he was leaning on a desk. He waved a hand towards Colby, "If you can get one of those blood packs, why not the gizmo they use to mimic bullets hitting?"
"Because those are small explosives and I'm not qualified to handle them. Don't worry. That man can put a bullet through a quarter at a hundred yards. He's not going to miss," Colby glanced at his watch again before looking at Mac. "You ready to go?"
Mac nodded silently, knowing it didn't matter if she was ready or not. They had a schedule to keep. She paused a moment, giving Harm and Don a chance to fall in behind her, and then followed Colby out the door. Harm looked over at Don, keeping his voice down, "He's not using anything larger than a .25 caliber, right? That armor Mac's wearing will crack wide open if he uses anything heavier."
Don bit back a sigh. He really couldn't blame Rabb, it was his fiancee they were about to shoot, but this constant questioning was getting old. "Ian knows more about his job than all of us put together. He'll use the right caliber and he'll put the shot exactly where it needs to go. We have agents set up as EMTs to declare her dead at the scene and Walker has informed his patrolmen as well. This is going to work and we're going to nail Bander, okay?"
Harm subsided with a nod, hearing the suppressed exasperation in Don's voice. He didn't like this, not from the get-go. The feeling of impending disaster had been growing all morning. Mac had been more or less fatalistic about the whole thing. She was just going to grit her teeth and get through it. Last night at the hotel hadn't helped. They'd holed up in Mac's room, ordering room service for dinner and she'd filled him in on what Avis and Kate had told her. He'd been appalled at what she'd gone through and guilt-stricken that he hadn't been able to protect her. He kept to himself the little pang of jealousy that Avis and Kate had been able to do what he couldn't. They were there, of course, making Harm somewhat uncomfortable. He hadn't considered how constant their presence might be and there were definitely times when he and Mac required privacy. Not that he was planning anything right then, Mac was in obvious need of rest, but in the future - .
Not wanting to come right out with it, he'd beaten around the bush in hopes Mac would pick up on his dilemma and save him from saying it out loud. Unfortunately, the lingering effects of her concussion meant that Mac wasn't nearly as sharp as usual and he'd just about worn a path around that particular bush before Avis apparently figured it out. The look on Mac's face when Avis clued her in was priceless and Harm would have enjoyed it more if he hadn't been nearly as flustered. Knowing that Avis knew was invoking the same uncomfortable feeling that had occurred when he was a kid and realized for the first time that his mother and Frank were capable of sex. As if on cue, his parents had chosen that moment to call and see how they both were doing. Later that night, after they'd turned in, Mac had sleepily informed him that their privacy was intact. Neither Kate nor Avis were voyeurs and made themselves scarce when the need arose. Nestled together, and despite his worries, Harm had slept soundly for the first time in days.
"Harm, you ready?"
He looked up to see Mac watching him and nodded slowly, "Sure. Let's do it."
Mac gave him a sideways glance as he moved up alongside her. She knew he was worried about this but there really wasn't anything she could do about it. They had to go through with the plan. It didn't help to know that Kate was just as unhappy. Considering the fact that she'd died at the hands of a sniper, her mood was understandable. Reaching the doors that led outside to the elevated walkways on the side of the building, they paused and exchanged a look. Taking a breath, Harm stepped forward and held the door open for her. Mac stepped through and then waited for him to join her. Together, they started up the concourse. The environment wasn't as contained as Don and Edgerton would have liked. Closing the walkways to the public might have raised red flags about what they were attempting.
Harm could feel Mac growing more tense with each step they took. It was understandable. Body armor notwithstanding, it was going to hurt when the bullet hit. They passed various bystanders, knowing they had to be in the clear before Edgerton would shoot. Abruptly, Mac slowed, her eyes widening. Harm gave her a questioning look, keeping his voice down, "What?"
Mac shook her head, the sudden flow of adrenalin actually making her tremble. She'd seen something... no, someone, that had triggered her subconscious. Slowly, she turned around, scanning the walkway again. Suddenly, Kate's voice erupted next to Mac, "He's here! 2 o'clock! That bastard's here!" Mac swung her eyes in that direction and froze as fragments of images flashed through her head. It was him, the old man, watching her while he leaned against the walkway railing, a folded newspaper casually resting in his hands. He straightened as soon as he realized she'd recognized him, turning towards her, the paper now in front of him. Mac had a split-second of horrified realization, instinctively turning towards Harm just as all hell broke loose.
- - - -
"David! Talk to me!" Don demanded as he and Colby sprinted out of the security room where they'd been watching everything on the closed-circuit TVs.
"I don't know." David's voice sounded breathless and Don knew he was running, too. He'd been positioned on the far side of walkway. "The Colonel saw something and turned around."
"There was another shooter," Ian's calm voice broke in. "He's down. It doesn't look like there's anyone else." There was a slight pause and his voice was a little quieter, "Rabb and MacKenzie are down, too."
Don uttered a heartfelt expletive and increased his speed, hitting the exit doors at nearly a dead run. The walkway was still in turmoil as people milled about, obviously undecided whether or not to run now that the shooting had stopped. Don and Colby deftly threaded their way through the onlookers, reaching the scene at nearly the same time as David. Colby broke off to go to the shooter while Don continued on to Harm and Mac. He was almost afraid to look. How could things have gone so wrong?
David was already on the phone, calling for EMS as Don knelt down next to the JAG officers. Harm was flat on his back with Mac sprawled across him. Both were unconscious but Don was relieved to see they were also still breathing. David crouched down next to him, "Paramedics should be here in a few." He looked over at Don, "Should we move them? I can't see where they were hit."
Don scrubbed a hand through his hair, "I don't know." He didn't want to make anything worse.
He glanced over as Colby knelt down on his other side. "It was Bander," the younger agent confirmed what Don had suspected. "He had a 9 mil wrapped in that paper. Edgerton put a round right through his forehead. What the hell was he doing here?"
"My guess is he wanted to see the kill," Ian stood before them, his rifle cradled in his arms. The LAPD had arrived. They were clearing the final civilians out and cordoning the walkway off. "He probably thought MacKenzie wouldn't recognize him with the concussion and all. Must have surprised the hell out of him when she did. He got a couple of shots off before I could take him out."
"Damn," Don muttered looking back at the JAG officers. He couldn't see any obvious blood. Where were the paramedics? He was about to say the hell with it and at least move Mac off of Harm when the EMTs finally arrived. The agents moved back a little, giving them room to work. Don shifted so that he could see what was going on.
After a quick examination, the paramedics carefully rolled Mac off of Harm and onto a backboard. Don noted that they made sure to keep her head aligned with her spine, fastening a cervical collar around her neck before letting her go. They split up after that, the man taking Harm and the woman staying with Mac. After a minute or so, the female paramedic sat back on her heels and looked at the agents. "What the hell is this?" she gestured at the blood pack still taped to the body armor.
Colby raised a hand, "Um, that would be mine."
The paramedic eyed Granger for a moment before leaning forward to snip through the tape. A minute later, she tossed it at him and began unfastening the armor, muttering a little under her breath. Don tensed as she removed the body armor. He hadn't seen any blood on it and fervently hoped that that meant Bander had missed. His hopes were dashed when he saw the blood staining the side of Mac's t-shirt and he swore quietly. The paramedic glanced up at him as she cut away material and taped a wad of dressing over the wound, "It's pretty shallow. Looks like the bullet decided to go around instead of through. The armor must have slowed it up quite a bit." She continued her examination, frowning a little as she shone a light in Mac's eyes.
"She's getting over a concussion," Don offered.
"Then this is not her week," the paramedic stopped to scribble down notes and then looked over at her partner, "How are you doing? Need any help?"
"Nah, looks like he got smacked pretty hard in the chest and then knocked himself silly when he hit the pavement. Got a small abrasion on the back of his head but no concussion and I can't feel any fractures." The paramedic gently patted the sides of Harm's face, "Come on, buddy. It's time to wake up." After a minute, he was rewarded with a low groan.
Harm grimaced as he squinted up at the sky. He felt like he'd been run over by a freight train that had then backed up and parked on his head. What the hell had happened? He couldn't focus.
"Hey, Commander."
A face floated into Harm's field of vision and he found he couldn't focus his eyesight either. Despite that, it seemed familiar. He started to bring a hand up to his head and groaned as pain erupted in his shoulder. Another face swam into view, "Hey buddy, you hurt your shoulder, too?" The question was accompanied by a painful prodding of the afflicted area.
Harm inhaled sharply, the pain actually clearing some of the fog. He gritted his teeth, "Stop that or I'll break your hand." The prodding stopped abruptly and Harm heard a chuckle. He slowly turned his head that way and growled, "Not funny, Granger."
"Maybe not," Colby agreed, still smiling, "But it's good to see you awake." He waited, knowing as Harm returned more fully to consciousness, concern for Mac would be foremost in his thoughts. Sure enough, Harm suddenly tried to lever himself up, gasping at the effort. Granger was ready for him, putting a hand on his good shoulder and motioning the paramedic to let him handle it. "Easy there, it's okay. Mac's just over there. Don's with her." He gestured to the right.
"Is she hurt?" Harm squinted in the direction Colby had indicated, his head pounding.
Granger glanced away for a moment, "Not bad, I don't think. A bullet grazed her side and she might have hit her head. She's still out. You're both going to the hospital."
"What happened?" Harm winced as he put his head back down.
Colby's expression grew hard, "It was Bander. It looks like he wanted to witness Mac's death firsthand. I think he was surprised when she recognized him and he started shooting at you both. Ian took him out."
Harm turned his head towards Colby, "So it's over."
Granger could only shrug, "Looks like it."
- - - -
"Mac? Can you hear me? Mac?" Kate hovered anxiously over the JAG officers before sending an anguished look at Avis, "I hit them too hard. I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't reach him in time."
"You did what you had to," Avis soothed, looking in Bander's direction. Something was wrong.
Kate joined Avis as Don and David converged on the scene at the same time, "What's going on?" Half her attention was still on Mac and Harm.
"Nothing good," was the grim rejoinder.
That got all of Kate's attention and she turned to look at Bander. Her eyes widened and she took an involuntary step back, "What the hell - ?"
"Yes." Avis continued to watch the thing that was coalescing out of Bander's body. When it was done, it looked remarkably like Carson Bander but an aura of dark malevolence hung about it like a cloud revealing its true identity. It started to turn towards Harm and Mac and both Avis and Kate moved to intercept. That stopped it, and with a rumbling growl, it turned sideways and vanished.
Shaken, Kate turned towards Avis and found the woman had taken on a soft glow. "What's going on?" she repeated a bit more forcefully. It was probably a good thing she was a spirit or she'd be looking for a change of underwear right about now.
"The stakes are growing higher," Avis replied softly. She turned and smiled at Kate, "But, for now, we've won."