ABOUT US 2: Surprise, Surprise 5/14
Author: LeE
e-mail: lee_81881@yahoo.com
Classification: Adventure- Romance Harm /Mac
Disclaimers: JAG doesn't belong to me. It belongs to DPB and CBS. I'm just having some fun while procrastinating on homework...
*From Part 4*
With a will born of sheer desperation, he finally succeeded and moved slowly towards the place his half-awake mind recognized as the entrance to the cave... basement... whatever. Where the hell was Webb? He'd yelled at him to wake up and move, and now he was nowhere to be found. Panic surged within him once again as he realized if Webb wanted him dead, all he had to do was leave him there. He was pretty sure he'd been given some kind of drugs, his leg was almost certainly broken, and he was losing blood fast. He'd never make it out of there alone. He had no recollection of the route they'd taken to get him there, where his plane was, where Skates was... Oh God! Skates!
*Part 5*
USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Same Time
"NO!!! Stop! What are you doing? NO!! Harm!!!!"
"Shh... hey, Skates. It's okay, wake up Skates, you're safe. Come one, wake up" Lieutenant Brooks tried countless times to bring her back from her nightmares. He wasn't getting through to her.
"Get your hands off me you miserable son of a bitch!! I hate you!! NO!!!" she screamed repetitively, arms flailing aimlessly, the panic gripping her overwhelming any reference to reality she had.
"Lt. Elizabeth Hawks!" Lt. Brooks yelled, careful not to touch her, his voice firm, hoping his Naval Officer routine would get through this time.
Skates opened her eyes abruptly at hearing her full name and rank. Scanning the room wildly she searched for a familiar face, the terror she'd lived through stamped clearly on her feminine features. Two days she'd been recovering, sleeping almost the entire time, except for the times when the nightmares would take over her dreams and take her back to that horrible place.
Lt. Peter Brooks had been there with her the entire time, talking to her, holding her hand, and caressing her face. No one had been able to soothe her after her nightmares, only him. If there were any doubts about his feelings for the pretty lieutenant, they'd been dissipated the past 48 hours. No one could deny that they shared a special connection. Peter had arrived at the USS Theodore Roosevelt at the same time as Skates. Now, they were nearing the end of their tour, and Peter had spent countless sleepless nights trying to figure out a way to let her know what he felt. He loved her. He just didn't know how to say it. Too many important people in his life had left him before, but he knew that if he let his fear take over this time, that'd be the last thing he'd do on this Earth. Skates was the most important person in his life, and he knew he could never live without her close.
"Hi" Skates whispered softly after focusing her eyes on his handsome face.
"How are you little one?" She smiled at his words.
"Doing okay, I guess" she whispered and gripped his hand as the tears started falling from her eyes.
"Hey, hey now. What's wrong? Does it hurt? What can I do? Do you want me to call the..."
"No, Peter, no. Listen to me" She interrupted him quickly, before he woke half the ship up.
"What is it Beth?" She loved it when he called her that. It was such a girl's name. She hadn't been called that since the week before she left for the Academy. It wasn't easy being a woman in the Navy, even less in the aviation field, but she had a job to do, and she loved it. Darting her yes back up towards him she spoke, knowing that to do her job and uphold the oath she'd been sworn to, she had to relive the nightmare.
"Peter, you need to get the Skipper down here, please" The desperation in her eyes tore at his heart, and he simply nodded.
Minutes later, the Skipper was in front of her, his eyes wide and his mouth partly open, as he listened to the story Skates was relating.
"What happened then, Skates?"
"I killed them, Sir," she said as a sob escaped and Peter quickly took her hand after the nodded approval of his Commanding Officer. "I shot them both, Sir. I had to. I didn't mean to, but I had to. I had to get away... I..." her voice broke once again and this time Peter took her in his arms, mindful of her injuries, softly whispering words of comfort to her. His eyes met the Skipper's in a concerned gaze as he stroked her hair and wiped away her flowing tears.
"Sir? You'll find him right? You'll find Harm..." her voice full of emotion and concern for the man who she cared for like a brother, and who had almost lost his life to save hers.
"We'll do our best, Skates. I promise you that" Turning away from her quickly, the Skipper headed directly towards his quarters. He had to contact AJ and quick. He knew that Webb would probably have all the communications lines tapped. He had to figure out a way to ...
A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts, and he rose to open the hatch. Petty Officer Jenkins stood in front of his CO in an obvious display of discomfort.
"Yes, Petty Officer?" the Skipper asked, trying to remain calm.
"Sir, there's been an incident"
"What is it Jenkins?"
"Sir, it's Lt. Moore. He committed suicide."
ABANDONED WAREHOUSE
WASHINGTON D.C
30 MINUTES LATER
"Trent" the seasoned CIA agent answered warily, knowing whom it was and anticipating the bad news he would probably receive.
"Don, Moore just killed himself thirty minutes ago" Charlie spoke, a hint of fear, of apprehension etched in his words.
"Oh, God. We're running out of time" Trent whispered almost to himself. They had to act, and do it quick. Too many lives were at stake. The damn national security was compromised. How had it gotten this far? Where the hell had Callahan found him? What else did he have up his sleeve?
"Don, we've gottta do it. The news report is at 6:00 today."
"I know, Charlie. I know" A moment of silence between the two men passed before Trent spoke again.
"Make all the arrangements, Charlie. We've gotta get to the safe house before the news report this evening"
"Got it. See you there in two hours then"
"Yeah, I'll take care of JAG, you take care of the rest, and Charlie?"
"What?"
"Good luck"
JAG HQ
FALLS CHURCH, VA
1406 EST
"Send him in, Tiner" AJ spoke
"Aye, Sir" Tiner answered dutifully. AJ smiled slightly behind his desk. If there was one person in his staff who had never given him a headache it had to be his yeoman... Tiner. With all the craziness around JAG the last few days, it was good to know some things hadn't changed.
Tiner quickly stood up and informed the Admiral's visitor to enter. Tiner would admit he was nosy from time to time, and he even had some dibs on the office pool going on about the Colonel and the Commander, but he was definitely not into gossip. However, the strange activity surrounding JAG the past couple of days had spiked his curiosity. Two different men, all strikingly resembling Mr. Webb were now on the visitor's list, and Tiner wondered once again if he'd ever get to be in on the action. Like the Colonel and the Commander always were. The visits didn't really bother him, but nonetheless he kept his eyes open, making sure his job didn't lack in any way.
Inside the office the Admiral's surprise couldn't have been greater when his visitor removed the outer garments that shielded his face from everyone's eyes.
"Mr. Trent" AJ uttered slowly, his eyes growing wide with apprehension recounting quickly in his head all the details Callahan had given him about the CIA's suspicions of Trent. This man was the Director of Central Intelligence, for God sakes. How could he even think of betraying his country that way?
Trent must have recognized the turmoil on AJ's face and quickly spoke.
"Admiral Chegwidden" he said as he extended his hand to the taller man in uniform.
"Mr. Donald Trent. How can I help you?" AJ said cautiously as he shook the hand of the shorter man, who obviously looked a little uneasy about the visit.
"Admiral. Would it be possible to have your immediate staff present here? Colonel Mackenzie and Commander Turner? This really can't wait"
Eyeing him up guardedly, AJ thought about Trent's request and finally decided having the rest of the staff present would probably not be such a bad idea. AJ agreed and minutes later, the four of them were sitting in his office, the three officers waiting patiently for Trent to start.
"I've learned Mr. Callahan paid you a visit this morning"
All eyes turned to AJ as he answered. "That's right, Mr. Trent. He did. And I suppose you are here to tell me everything we heard this morning is a lie?" AJ said sarcastically.
Trent sighed. He'd dealt with military officers all his life. Hell, he served in 'Nam and spent countless years doing CIA field work. He knew how the military worked, how their officers were trained, and that's exactly why he knew it wouldn't be easy to convince them. Well, at least not without showing some of the most convincing evidence he had. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and out came a yellow envelope, which he handed off to AJ with a knowing glance.
Scanning through the pictures and documents he found, a feeling of dread overtook him as he made the connections in his head. Could it be true? Why after so long?
Noticing the understanding dawning on the Admiral's face, Trent decided to go for the kill. He had no time to waist. Reaching inside his pocket once again, he took out a little tape recorder, or so it looked like, and a familiar voice filled the room. Webb.
"Is everything ready, Dad?" Webb's voice was heard clearly.
"Yes, Jay. Everything's going according to plan. Are we ready for phase two?" Callahan asked.
"Yeah, Moore's dead" Webb answered nonchalantly.
AJ gasped involuntarily at this. The Skipper aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt had sent a secured message to him an hour before, telling him that Lt. Moore had committed suicide and that the rest of the story would be explained by Lt. Elizabeth "Skates" Hawks, who was on her way to Bethesda along with Lt. Peter Brooks. AJ looked sharply at Trent as he made the connection. He hadn't wanted to tell Mac about Skates for fear of her reaction. Apparently Skates had been with Harm after the forced landing until they were separated, two men taking Skates and Webb taking Harm. The Skipper hadn't said anything else, and figuring Mac would probably harass Skates for the story, he chose to keep quiet, instead of contributing to the incontrollable emotions he'd seen in Mac's face since the moment she'd learned of Harm's disappearance.
"You mean Lt. Moore had something to do with this?" AJ demanded.
"Don't bluff with me Admiral. I'm the DCI remember? I read that message you got from the Skipper before it left that ship" Trent answered evenly, no pride or smugness noticeable; simply a sense of urgency palpable in the air that surrounded him.
"We don't have much time. I'll explain everything once we're safe. Let's go" Rising from his chair, he made sure his face was covered once again before he departed. Leaving instructions for them to follow on an envelope on the desk, Trent walked out of JAG.
TBC
Author: LeE
e-mail: lee_81881@yahoo.com
Classification: Adventure- Romance Harm /Mac
Disclaimers: JAG doesn't belong to me. It belongs to DPB and CBS. I'm just having some fun while procrastinating on homework...
*From Part 4*
With a will born of sheer desperation, he finally succeeded and moved slowly towards the place his half-awake mind recognized as the entrance to the cave... basement... whatever. Where the hell was Webb? He'd yelled at him to wake up and move, and now he was nowhere to be found. Panic surged within him once again as he realized if Webb wanted him dead, all he had to do was leave him there. He was pretty sure he'd been given some kind of drugs, his leg was almost certainly broken, and he was losing blood fast. He'd never make it out of there alone. He had no recollection of the route they'd taken to get him there, where his plane was, where Skates was... Oh God! Skates!
*Part 5*
USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Same Time
"NO!!! Stop! What are you doing? NO!! Harm!!!!"
"Shh... hey, Skates. It's okay, wake up Skates, you're safe. Come one, wake up" Lieutenant Brooks tried countless times to bring her back from her nightmares. He wasn't getting through to her.
"Get your hands off me you miserable son of a bitch!! I hate you!! NO!!!" she screamed repetitively, arms flailing aimlessly, the panic gripping her overwhelming any reference to reality she had.
"Lt. Elizabeth Hawks!" Lt. Brooks yelled, careful not to touch her, his voice firm, hoping his Naval Officer routine would get through this time.
Skates opened her eyes abruptly at hearing her full name and rank. Scanning the room wildly she searched for a familiar face, the terror she'd lived through stamped clearly on her feminine features. Two days she'd been recovering, sleeping almost the entire time, except for the times when the nightmares would take over her dreams and take her back to that horrible place.
Lt. Peter Brooks had been there with her the entire time, talking to her, holding her hand, and caressing her face. No one had been able to soothe her after her nightmares, only him. If there were any doubts about his feelings for the pretty lieutenant, they'd been dissipated the past 48 hours. No one could deny that they shared a special connection. Peter had arrived at the USS Theodore Roosevelt at the same time as Skates. Now, they were nearing the end of their tour, and Peter had spent countless sleepless nights trying to figure out a way to let her know what he felt. He loved her. He just didn't know how to say it. Too many important people in his life had left him before, but he knew that if he let his fear take over this time, that'd be the last thing he'd do on this Earth. Skates was the most important person in his life, and he knew he could never live without her close.
"Hi" Skates whispered softly after focusing her eyes on his handsome face.
"How are you little one?" She smiled at his words.
"Doing okay, I guess" she whispered and gripped his hand as the tears started falling from her eyes.
"Hey, hey now. What's wrong? Does it hurt? What can I do? Do you want me to call the..."
"No, Peter, no. Listen to me" She interrupted him quickly, before he woke half the ship up.
"What is it Beth?" She loved it when he called her that. It was such a girl's name. She hadn't been called that since the week before she left for the Academy. It wasn't easy being a woman in the Navy, even less in the aviation field, but she had a job to do, and she loved it. Darting her yes back up towards him she spoke, knowing that to do her job and uphold the oath she'd been sworn to, she had to relive the nightmare.
"Peter, you need to get the Skipper down here, please" The desperation in her eyes tore at his heart, and he simply nodded.
Minutes later, the Skipper was in front of her, his eyes wide and his mouth partly open, as he listened to the story Skates was relating.
"What happened then, Skates?"
"I killed them, Sir," she said as a sob escaped and Peter quickly took her hand after the nodded approval of his Commanding Officer. "I shot them both, Sir. I had to. I didn't mean to, but I had to. I had to get away... I..." her voice broke once again and this time Peter took her in his arms, mindful of her injuries, softly whispering words of comfort to her. His eyes met the Skipper's in a concerned gaze as he stroked her hair and wiped away her flowing tears.
"Sir? You'll find him right? You'll find Harm..." her voice full of emotion and concern for the man who she cared for like a brother, and who had almost lost his life to save hers.
"We'll do our best, Skates. I promise you that" Turning away from her quickly, the Skipper headed directly towards his quarters. He had to contact AJ and quick. He knew that Webb would probably have all the communications lines tapped. He had to figure out a way to ...
A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts, and he rose to open the hatch. Petty Officer Jenkins stood in front of his CO in an obvious display of discomfort.
"Yes, Petty Officer?" the Skipper asked, trying to remain calm.
"Sir, there's been an incident"
"What is it Jenkins?"
"Sir, it's Lt. Moore. He committed suicide."
ABANDONED WAREHOUSE
WASHINGTON D.C
30 MINUTES LATER
"Trent" the seasoned CIA agent answered warily, knowing whom it was and anticipating the bad news he would probably receive.
"Don, Moore just killed himself thirty minutes ago" Charlie spoke, a hint of fear, of apprehension etched in his words.
"Oh, God. We're running out of time" Trent whispered almost to himself. They had to act, and do it quick. Too many lives were at stake. The damn national security was compromised. How had it gotten this far? Where the hell had Callahan found him? What else did he have up his sleeve?
"Don, we've gottta do it. The news report is at 6:00 today."
"I know, Charlie. I know" A moment of silence between the two men passed before Trent spoke again.
"Make all the arrangements, Charlie. We've gotta get to the safe house before the news report this evening"
"Got it. See you there in two hours then"
"Yeah, I'll take care of JAG, you take care of the rest, and Charlie?"
"What?"
"Good luck"
JAG HQ
FALLS CHURCH, VA
1406 EST
"Send him in, Tiner" AJ spoke
"Aye, Sir" Tiner answered dutifully. AJ smiled slightly behind his desk. If there was one person in his staff who had never given him a headache it had to be his yeoman... Tiner. With all the craziness around JAG the last few days, it was good to know some things hadn't changed.
Tiner quickly stood up and informed the Admiral's visitor to enter. Tiner would admit he was nosy from time to time, and he even had some dibs on the office pool going on about the Colonel and the Commander, but he was definitely not into gossip. However, the strange activity surrounding JAG the past couple of days had spiked his curiosity. Two different men, all strikingly resembling Mr. Webb were now on the visitor's list, and Tiner wondered once again if he'd ever get to be in on the action. Like the Colonel and the Commander always were. The visits didn't really bother him, but nonetheless he kept his eyes open, making sure his job didn't lack in any way.
Inside the office the Admiral's surprise couldn't have been greater when his visitor removed the outer garments that shielded his face from everyone's eyes.
"Mr. Trent" AJ uttered slowly, his eyes growing wide with apprehension recounting quickly in his head all the details Callahan had given him about the CIA's suspicions of Trent. This man was the Director of Central Intelligence, for God sakes. How could he even think of betraying his country that way?
Trent must have recognized the turmoil on AJ's face and quickly spoke.
"Admiral Chegwidden" he said as he extended his hand to the taller man in uniform.
"Mr. Donald Trent. How can I help you?" AJ said cautiously as he shook the hand of the shorter man, who obviously looked a little uneasy about the visit.
"Admiral. Would it be possible to have your immediate staff present here? Colonel Mackenzie and Commander Turner? This really can't wait"
Eyeing him up guardedly, AJ thought about Trent's request and finally decided having the rest of the staff present would probably not be such a bad idea. AJ agreed and minutes later, the four of them were sitting in his office, the three officers waiting patiently for Trent to start.
"I've learned Mr. Callahan paid you a visit this morning"
All eyes turned to AJ as he answered. "That's right, Mr. Trent. He did. And I suppose you are here to tell me everything we heard this morning is a lie?" AJ said sarcastically.
Trent sighed. He'd dealt with military officers all his life. Hell, he served in 'Nam and spent countless years doing CIA field work. He knew how the military worked, how their officers were trained, and that's exactly why he knew it wouldn't be easy to convince them. Well, at least not without showing some of the most convincing evidence he had. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and out came a yellow envelope, which he handed off to AJ with a knowing glance.
Scanning through the pictures and documents he found, a feeling of dread overtook him as he made the connections in his head. Could it be true? Why after so long?
Noticing the understanding dawning on the Admiral's face, Trent decided to go for the kill. He had no time to waist. Reaching inside his pocket once again, he took out a little tape recorder, or so it looked like, and a familiar voice filled the room. Webb.
"Is everything ready, Dad?" Webb's voice was heard clearly.
"Yes, Jay. Everything's going according to plan. Are we ready for phase two?" Callahan asked.
"Yeah, Moore's dead" Webb answered nonchalantly.
AJ gasped involuntarily at this. The Skipper aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt had sent a secured message to him an hour before, telling him that Lt. Moore had committed suicide and that the rest of the story would be explained by Lt. Elizabeth "Skates" Hawks, who was on her way to Bethesda along with Lt. Peter Brooks. AJ looked sharply at Trent as he made the connection. He hadn't wanted to tell Mac about Skates for fear of her reaction. Apparently Skates had been with Harm after the forced landing until they were separated, two men taking Skates and Webb taking Harm. The Skipper hadn't said anything else, and figuring Mac would probably harass Skates for the story, he chose to keep quiet, instead of contributing to the incontrollable emotions he'd seen in Mac's face since the moment she'd learned of Harm's disappearance.
"You mean Lt. Moore had something to do with this?" AJ demanded.
"Don't bluff with me Admiral. I'm the DCI remember? I read that message you got from the Skipper before it left that ship" Trent answered evenly, no pride or smugness noticeable; simply a sense of urgency palpable in the air that surrounded him.
"We don't have much time. I'll explain everything once we're safe. Let's go" Rising from his chair, he made sure his face was covered once again before he departed. Leaving instructions for them to follow on an envelope on the desk, Trent walked out of JAG.
TBC