Part Twenty-Nine
Vicinity of Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
0805 Local
AJ cleared his throat, everyone had, more or less, finished eating. "If one of you would start at the beginning, I'd like to hear the sequence of events. Then we can decide how to proceed."
Mac, Tyler and Perez looked at each other for a moment and then Mac began, starting with her conversation with Lt. Cmdr. Brighton. She kept the narrative concise and dispassionate. Perez and Tyler took their cue from her, adding their parts to the story as needed. AJ listened quietly, some of this he had heard from Rabb. Gunny Walters was a little more intent, he'd only had the bare bones of the story... and Admiral Crowley's version of events. When the narration finally ceased, there was a brief period of silence.
Mac stared at the ground, having to say it had been both a burden and a blessing. The last thirty-eight hours had been a nightmare. For some reason, summarizing it out loud seemed to put it into a context she could deal with. It also brought back into focus the problems she was facing with the Admiral. Maybe it would make her discussion with him a little easier - now he would have the background for her decision. More troubling was that feeling of urgency and unease. It was back and growing stronger. She started reviewing what she'd heard from the others, there had to be a reason for this. Her attention was diverted by the sound of the Admiral's voice.
AJ shared a glance with Walters and then gazed at the rest of the group. Perez and Tyler were watching him a trifle nervously. Mac, on the other hand, seemed distracted and pensive. Chegwidden couldn't decide if it was because of what he had learned from Webb or just worry about Harm. Well, the first order of business would be extracting his officers and Cpl. Bell from the militia. He looked over at Tyler, "Do you still have Commander Rabb's cellphone?" Both Perez and Mac's heads came up as they looked at Tyler. AJ had seen the surprise on both their faces when Tyler had told about contacting JAG headquarters earlier.
"Yes sir," Tyler pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over.
AJ took it and then grinned ruefully, "Anybody know the number of the Memphis FBI?"
"What about 9-1-1, sir?" Tyler asked.
Perez shook his head, "The driver, Mario, said that the local law enforcement people were probably sympathizers with the militia. We'd just wind up with more people after us." He looked over at AJ, "I could call my people on base and have them get in touch with the Bureau."
"No offense, Captain, but someone had to let Captain Koslov know that the Colonel and Lt. Singer would be last out of the JAG offices that night," Gunny Walters said. "Until we know where all the leaks are, we shouldn't contact anyone on base."
Perez didn't look happy as he acknowledged the truth of that statement. Mac looked over at him, "What about Ellie?" She glanced at AJ, "The captain's wife. She's a civilian psychiatrist at the base hospital and... " Mac grinned at Perez, "... apparently, a force to be reckoned with when she's worried or angry. I don't think it will raise any eyebrows when she storms the offices of the FBI - if she hasn't already."
AJ thought it over while Perez watched him anxiously. He was doing his best to maintain a professional demeanor. The Admiral smiled inwardly as he tossed the phone to Perez and said gruffly, "Make the call, Captain. Tell her to contact Special Agent Ramos, he's familiar with the case." He gestured to the far side of the ravine, "Over there, please. We still have plans to discuss." As they watched Perez hurry away, AJ leaned back and said quietly, "Nice work, Colonel." He watched her give him a brief smile and then return to whatever it was she was thinking about earlier. Damn, this was what made her an excellent Chief of Staff. She'd solved his problem and a potential problem with Perez at the same time. He needed to fix this, he had no intention of letting her get herself killed running around with Webb. He had a hard time trusting any organization that thought nothing of sacrificing their own for their perceived view of the 'greater good'. But first... he looked over at Tyler, "I'd like to get a look at the camp later. We'll need to be able to give the Feds an idea of the layout and how many people they'll be facing."
Before Tyler could reply, all heads turned as Perez came back. "Well, Captain?" AJ asked.
Perez smiled as he handed back the phone, "Ellie is on her way there right now. Ramos should be calling us soon."
"You don't look too singed, is Ellie okay?" Mac asked with a grin.
Perez grinned back and then ducked his head, "She decided to save it until she can get her hands on me. It should be ... interesting." They exchanged guilty glances when the Admiral cleared his throat.
AJ gave them a dry look and then glanced over at Tyler, "Ensign?"
"Yes sir, we can go whenever you're ready." Tyler looked a little worried at the prospect of sneaking through the underbrush with a two-star in tow. What if something happened? The man was old! "Ummm, sir? Maybe Capt. Perez or Gunny Walters could come along too, just in case."
AJ narrowed his gaze, "In case of what, Ensign?" He had a pretty good idea what was bothering the young man and judging from the looks on everyone else's faces, so did they.
Tyler floundered about for a moment, how do you tell an Admiral he's a little old to be traipsing through the woods? He looked helplessly at the Colonel who regarded him with thinly veiled amusement. Finally, she relented and said, "Excuse me sir, but I think Ensign Tyler is apprehensive about having someone of your... rank anywhere near any potential trouble."
AJ glared at Mac. She'd gotten through that statement with a perfectly straight face, although he could see the laughter in her eyes. Gunny and Perez were studiously avoiding looking at him at all. He transferred his glare to Tyler, who looked ready to wilt. "Thank you for your concern, Ensign. You'll be relieved to know that despite my... rank... I'm more than capable of running a reconnaisance. But, another pair of eyes won't hurt. Captain Perez can come along too... providing that's agreeable to you, Mr. Tyler."
Tyler nodded vigorously, glad to be off the hook. "When do you want to leave, sir?"
"The sooner, the better." AJ looked over at Mac and handed her the cellphone. "When Ramos calls, fill him in on what's been happening. He's been going over your files so he's familiar with a lot of it."
"Yes sir," Mac answered, she wished she could go along but that was out of the question. She also wished she could pin down what was bothering her. The sense of urgency was growing. Maybe after everyone left, she could concentrate a little better.
Five minutes later, Tyler, Perez and the Admiral headed out. Mac and Walters watched them leave and then looked at each other. "Sorry you got stuck on the babysitting detail, Gunny." Mac said apologetically.
Gunny waved a hand and smiled, "It's okay, Colonel. God wouldn't have invented Gunnery Sergeants if officers didn't need looking after."
Mac raised an eyebrow, "Even the ones that are a pain in the ass?"
Walters had the grace to blush, "We never did discuss that, did we ma'am?"
"No, but don't worry about it, Gunny. I'm learning not to look a gift rescue in the mouth," Mac said dryly. She shifted a bit and gave a slight wince. Her side was better but still sensitive. There wasn't much she could do about her shoulder, so there was no point in complaining.
"Is there anything I can do, ma'am?"
Mac shook her head, "Remind me not to get blindsided next time. This has been inconvenient as hell." She lapsed into silence, missing the look on Gunny's face as she stared at the ground. Goddammit, what was it that had her so fidgety? She glanced back up to find the Gunny still looking at her, "What?"
Walters blinked, "Sorry, ma'am. I guess... I'm just glad you aren't dead." He grimaced to himself as she continued to stare at him. What a brilliant thing to say to a senior officer, especially one that he liked. Oh hell, she was still staring. Could she be that upset? "Colonel?"
"I'm supposed to be dead," Mac said faintly. She was staring at the Gunny but not really seeing him.
"What?" Now the Gunny was perplexed.
Mac focused her attention on Walters. "That's what that militia man said. The one that came across Perez and I, after we'd made it back to the camp. I was supposed to be dead and Perez didn't exist... " She looked around the ravine, "They didn't kill him. Perez and Tyler. They just tied him up so he would be found eventually. They're going to find him, dammit, and he's going to tell what he saw. Oh god... "
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
0800 Local
Koslov looked in the mirror and ran a hand through his hair. The buyer's people would be here today, probably around noon or so. Hopefully, they wouldn't mind the substitution. He had seriously considered taking Lt. Singer up on her offer to join his network. In the end, though, he decided he'd rather have the money. She was still under the impression that she'd be working for him. It did make it easier to handle her. Then he'd see about getting rid of Rabb. Maybe he could pawn it off on one of these neanderthals; he'd learned the value of deniability. If only he could get rid of Trask... but he still needed the pompous jackass.
Koslov shook his head, that pious lunatic had some grandiose plan of uniting all the little ragtag militias all over the country. Then the Right Reverend Trask would quietly subvert local governments, eventually move through the various levels until he had the states and then he somehow planned to abolish the central government. No doubt some pie-in-the-sky plan for Southern revenge of their defeat in the Civil War. Wait... what had he heard them call it? Oh yes... the 'Late Unpleasantness'. These Southerners had a stranglehold on the past, no wonder they never seemed to get anywhere. Koslov cordially hated each and every one of them. They talked slow, moved slow, thought slow. Schedules were a foreign concept, he didn't think any of them knew how to tell time. He snorted disdainfully, Trask would be lucky if he could get even two militias to cooperate with him.
Of course, he had pledged to support Trask all the way to the top. It was the only way he could think of to get his hands on the Reverend's contacts within the other militias. Once he had those, Trask could have an unfortunate accident. With Jarvis' program in place and the militia market secured, he would be well on his way to becoming an extremely wealthy man. Koslov amused himself for a few moments, imagining the look on Crowley's face when he resigned his commission to become a millionaire. Humming to himself, he opened the door of his quarters and halted in surprise. One of the militia hicks was standing in front of his door with a pistol pointed at him. Koslov could see Trask standing a little further back in the hallway. "What the hell do you think... " That was as far as he got before the pistol went off.
Trask walked up and looked in the room. He glanced over at the other man, "Thank you Preston. Have someone clean this up. I'll be having breakfast with Commander Rabb and Lt. Singer and then I'll be in my office." He walked thoughtfully back down the hallway, vengeance might belong to the Lord - but it was satisfying as hell here on earth, too.
Vicinity of Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
0805 Local
AJ cleared his throat, everyone had, more or less, finished eating. "If one of you would start at the beginning, I'd like to hear the sequence of events. Then we can decide how to proceed."
Mac, Tyler and Perez looked at each other for a moment and then Mac began, starting with her conversation with Lt. Cmdr. Brighton. She kept the narrative concise and dispassionate. Perez and Tyler took their cue from her, adding their parts to the story as needed. AJ listened quietly, some of this he had heard from Rabb. Gunny Walters was a little more intent, he'd only had the bare bones of the story... and Admiral Crowley's version of events. When the narration finally ceased, there was a brief period of silence.
Mac stared at the ground, having to say it had been both a burden and a blessing. The last thirty-eight hours had been a nightmare. For some reason, summarizing it out loud seemed to put it into a context she could deal with. It also brought back into focus the problems she was facing with the Admiral. Maybe it would make her discussion with him a little easier - now he would have the background for her decision. More troubling was that feeling of urgency and unease. It was back and growing stronger. She started reviewing what she'd heard from the others, there had to be a reason for this. Her attention was diverted by the sound of the Admiral's voice.
AJ shared a glance with Walters and then gazed at the rest of the group. Perez and Tyler were watching him a trifle nervously. Mac, on the other hand, seemed distracted and pensive. Chegwidden couldn't decide if it was because of what he had learned from Webb or just worry about Harm. Well, the first order of business would be extracting his officers and Cpl. Bell from the militia. He looked over at Tyler, "Do you still have Commander Rabb's cellphone?" Both Perez and Mac's heads came up as they looked at Tyler. AJ had seen the surprise on both their faces when Tyler had told about contacting JAG headquarters earlier.
"Yes sir," Tyler pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over.
AJ took it and then grinned ruefully, "Anybody know the number of the Memphis FBI?"
"What about 9-1-1, sir?" Tyler asked.
Perez shook his head, "The driver, Mario, said that the local law enforcement people were probably sympathizers with the militia. We'd just wind up with more people after us." He looked over at AJ, "I could call my people on base and have them get in touch with the Bureau."
"No offense, Captain, but someone had to let Captain Koslov know that the Colonel and Lt. Singer would be last out of the JAG offices that night," Gunny Walters said. "Until we know where all the leaks are, we shouldn't contact anyone on base."
Perez didn't look happy as he acknowledged the truth of that statement. Mac looked over at him, "What about Ellie?" She glanced at AJ, "The captain's wife. She's a civilian psychiatrist at the base hospital and... " Mac grinned at Perez, "... apparently, a force to be reckoned with when she's worried or angry. I don't think it will raise any eyebrows when she storms the offices of the FBI - if she hasn't already."
AJ thought it over while Perez watched him anxiously. He was doing his best to maintain a professional demeanor. The Admiral smiled inwardly as he tossed the phone to Perez and said gruffly, "Make the call, Captain. Tell her to contact Special Agent Ramos, he's familiar with the case." He gestured to the far side of the ravine, "Over there, please. We still have plans to discuss." As they watched Perez hurry away, AJ leaned back and said quietly, "Nice work, Colonel." He watched her give him a brief smile and then return to whatever it was she was thinking about earlier. Damn, this was what made her an excellent Chief of Staff. She'd solved his problem and a potential problem with Perez at the same time. He needed to fix this, he had no intention of letting her get herself killed running around with Webb. He had a hard time trusting any organization that thought nothing of sacrificing their own for their perceived view of the 'greater good'. But first... he looked over at Tyler, "I'd like to get a look at the camp later. We'll need to be able to give the Feds an idea of the layout and how many people they'll be facing."
Before Tyler could reply, all heads turned as Perez came back. "Well, Captain?" AJ asked.
Perez smiled as he handed back the phone, "Ellie is on her way there right now. Ramos should be calling us soon."
"You don't look too singed, is Ellie okay?" Mac asked with a grin.
Perez grinned back and then ducked his head, "She decided to save it until she can get her hands on me. It should be ... interesting." They exchanged guilty glances when the Admiral cleared his throat.
AJ gave them a dry look and then glanced over at Tyler, "Ensign?"
"Yes sir, we can go whenever you're ready." Tyler looked a little worried at the prospect of sneaking through the underbrush with a two-star in tow. What if something happened? The man was old! "Ummm, sir? Maybe Capt. Perez or Gunny Walters could come along too, just in case."
AJ narrowed his gaze, "In case of what, Ensign?" He had a pretty good idea what was bothering the young man and judging from the looks on everyone else's faces, so did they.
Tyler floundered about for a moment, how do you tell an Admiral he's a little old to be traipsing through the woods? He looked helplessly at the Colonel who regarded him with thinly veiled amusement. Finally, she relented and said, "Excuse me sir, but I think Ensign Tyler is apprehensive about having someone of your... rank anywhere near any potential trouble."
AJ glared at Mac. She'd gotten through that statement with a perfectly straight face, although he could see the laughter in her eyes. Gunny and Perez were studiously avoiding looking at him at all. He transferred his glare to Tyler, who looked ready to wilt. "Thank you for your concern, Ensign. You'll be relieved to know that despite my... rank... I'm more than capable of running a reconnaisance. But, another pair of eyes won't hurt. Captain Perez can come along too... providing that's agreeable to you, Mr. Tyler."
Tyler nodded vigorously, glad to be off the hook. "When do you want to leave, sir?"
"The sooner, the better." AJ looked over at Mac and handed her the cellphone. "When Ramos calls, fill him in on what's been happening. He's been going over your files so he's familiar with a lot of it."
"Yes sir," Mac answered, she wished she could go along but that was out of the question. She also wished she could pin down what was bothering her. The sense of urgency was growing. Maybe after everyone left, she could concentrate a little better.
Five minutes later, Tyler, Perez and the Admiral headed out. Mac and Walters watched them leave and then looked at each other. "Sorry you got stuck on the babysitting detail, Gunny." Mac said apologetically.
Gunny waved a hand and smiled, "It's okay, Colonel. God wouldn't have invented Gunnery Sergeants if officers didn't need looking after."
Mac raised an eyebrow, "Even the ones that are a pain in the ass?"
Walters had the grace to blush, "We never did discuss that, did we ma'am?"
"No, but don't worry about it, Gunny. I'm learning not to look a gift rescue in the mouth," Mac said dryly. She shifted a bit and gave a slight wince. Her side was better but still sensitive. There wasn't much she could do about her shoulder, so there was no point in complaining.
"Is there anything I can do, ma'am?"
Mac shook her head, "Remind me not to get blindsided next time. This has been inconvenient as hell." She lapsed into silence, missing the look on Gunny's face as she stared at the ground. Goddammit, what was it that had her so fidgety? She glanced back up to find the Gunny still looking at her, "What?"
Walters blinked, "Sorry, ma'am. I guess... I'm just glad you aren't dead." He grimaced to himself as she continued to stare at him. What a brilliant thing to say to a senior officer, especially one that he liked. Oh hell, she was still staring. Could she be that upset? "Colonel?"
"I'm supposed to be dead," Mac said faintly. She was staring at the Gunny but not really seeing him.
"What?" Now the Gunny was perplexed.
Mac focused her attention on Walters. "That's what that militia man said. The one that came across Perez and I, after we'd made it back to the camp. I was supposed to be dead and Perez didn't exist... " She looked around the ravine, "They didn't kill him. Perez and Tyler. They just tied him up so he would be found eventually. They're going to find him, dammit, and he's going to tell what he saw. Oh god... "
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
0800 Local
Koslov looked in the mirror and ran a hand through his hair. The buyer's people would be here today, probably around noon or so. Hopefully, they wouldn't mind the substitution. He had seriously considered taking Lt. Singer up on her offer to join his network. In the end, though, he decided he'd rather have the money. She was still under the impression that she'd be working for him. It did make it easier to handle her. Then he'd see about getting rid of Rabb. Maybe he could pawn it off on one of these neanderthals; he'd learned the value of deniability. If only he could get rid of Trask... but he still needed the pompous jackass.
Koslov shook his head, that pious lunatic had some grandiose plan of uniting all the little ragtag militias all over the country. Then the Right Reverend Trask would quietly subvert local governments, eventually move through the various levels until he had the states and then he somehow planned to abolish the central government. No doubt some pie-in-the-sky plan for Southern revenge of their defeat in the Civil War. Wait... what had he heard them call it? Oh yes... the 'Late Unpleasantness'. These Southerners had a stranglehold on the past, no wonder they never seemed to get anywhere. Koslov cordially hated each and every one of them. They talked slow, moved slow, thought slow. Schedules were a foreign concept, he didn't think any of them knew how to tell time. He snorted disdainfully, Trask would be lucky if he could get even two militias to cooperate with him.
Of course, he had pledged to support Trask all the way to the top. It was the only way he could think of to get his hands on the Reverend's contacts within the other militias. Once he had those, Trask could have an unfortunate accident. With Jarvis' program in place and the militia market secured, he would be well on his way to becoming an extremely wealthy man. Koslov amused himself for a few moments, imagining the look on Crowley's face when he resigned his commission to become a millionaire. Humming to himself, he opened the door of his quarters and halted in surprise. One of the militia hicks was standing in front of his door with a pistol pointed at him. Koslov could see Trask standing a little further back in the hallway. "What the hell do you think... " That was as far as he got before the pistol went off.
Trask walked up and looked in the room. He glanced over at the other man, "Thank you Preston. Have someone clean this up. I'll be having breakfast with Commander Rabb and Lt. Singer and then I'll be in my office." He walked thoughtfully back down the hallway, vengeance might belong to the Lord - but it was satisfying as hell here on earth, too.
