Harm and Mac both recognized the voice, and Harm bolted from his seat. He
reached the door in two strides, flung it open and stepped out into the
hallway and ran straight into him.
"Stop him, Commander," Lynn yelled from where she was struggling to get up from the floor.
Harm and the man crashed to the floor, wrestling with each other. Harm tried to pin the man down, but the man brought his knee up and thrust it soundly into Harm's chest.
"Uh," Harm breathed as the wind rushed from his lungs. The man took the advantage, sprang up and he tried to run off down the hall, but Mac who had been only a few steps behind Harm, reached out and grabbed him by the arm. The man flung her to the floor and tried to kick out at her, but Mac blocked his foot. He turned away and dashed off. Mac tried to follow but was hampered by the skirt of her dress.
"Damn!" she cursed. Then she looked to where Harm had gone down. He was doubled up, his knees to his chest, and his face was twisted in pain. She and Lynn reached him at the same time and they both knelt down beside him.
"Commander, are you alright?" Lynn asked. Mac looked at her for a moment, and saw that her lip was swollen and bleeding.
"I think so," he groaned. Every breath he took ached, and he knew the feeling. He tried to sit up, knowing that searing pain was coming. "Ow," he said when it hit.
"Take it easy there, squid," Mac said helping him.
Harm closed his eyes. "I'll be okay, I just need a minute."
A moment later the Admiral appeared in the hallway, along with some of the other operagoers. He took in the scene before him, turned to the onlookers and said, "Go on back to the show. Everything seems to be under control."
Most of the onlookers obeyed, and when the hall was empty save Lynn, Harm, and Mac and himself he hissed, "What the hell is going on?"
Lynn held out a crumpled file, and as soon as the Admiral looked at it, he raised his eyes to hers.
"Miss O'Connor, where did you get this?" the Admiral asked.
"I was walking back from the powder room when a man bumped into me, spilling the contents of that file, sir."
The Admiral took the file and briefly read through it pages and it didn't take long until the sour expression on his face was replaced by one of urgency. "What man? Where is he?"
"Commander Rabb tried to stop him, but I think he may have been injured," Lynn answered, "The man got away, sir."
Admiral Grant looked at the pained look on Harm's face. "You don't look so good yourself, Miss O'Connor," he said, "Commander, can you walk out of here without looking hurt?"
Harm took a deep breath and said, "Yes, sir."
"Good," Admiral Grant nodded, "Then, this is what we'll do. Colonel you'll get Miss O'Connor cleaned up and then we'll get the Commander to a hospital. Just try to hold it together until we're out of sight of the press."
Harm nodded, and as he painfully struggled to his feet with Mac holding his arm, the Admiral returned to their seats to get their cover and bags. Once he was standing he shook the grimace off his face. "I'm alright as long as I don't move too much."
When the Admiral returned Lynn pulled a handkerchief from her bag and hand it to Mac. Mac dabbed lightly at Lynn's swollen and bleeding lip. Soon, they were all ready to leave.
They set off down the hallway, the Admiral leading the way, Mac helped Harm to follow and Lynn brought up the rear carrying everyone's coats, hats and handbags. They finally reached the entrance to the theater and walked out onto the red carpet that led from the door to the street. The reporters and photographers, who were still there, snapped pictures and asked questions about why they were leaving at intermission. But the officers and Lynn paid them no heed, the Admiral nodded to them and said 'official business', but he quickly stepped into the waiting limousine. Mac waited for Harm to slide in, and then followed. Lynn got in last, and shut the door.
Harm was leaning his head back, and sweat glistened on his forehead. He was taking quick shallow breaths. Lynn rolled down the divider so she could speak to the driver.
"Queen's Hospital, driver," she said curtly, "Step on it."
"Yes, ma'am," the driver replied as the divider rose.
Lynn retook her seat, and the admiral began to question her. "Miss O'Connor, was he the only man in the corridor?"
"Yes, sir," Lynn answered.
"Can you describe what the looked like?" he pressed her.
"He was a few inches shorter than the Commander, had dark hair, broad shoulders," Lynn said, but then she paused and looked confused, "The lights were dimmed, and I didn't seen anything else. He was wearing a tuxedo though."
"So were all the men in the audience," the Admiral sighed.
"Did you see what race he was?" Mac asked.
"I couldn't tell."
For a moment Harm's painful breathing was the only sound they heard, then he finally said in a strained voice, "What's in that file, sir?"
"It's classified information," the Admiral responded, "That came out of my office."
"Stop him, Commander," Lynn yelled from where she was struggling to get up from the floor.
Harm and the man crashed to the floor, wrestling with each other. Harm tried to pin the man down, but the man brought his knee up and thrust it soundly into Harm's chest.
"Uh," Harm breathed as the wind rushed from his lungs. The man took the advantage, sprang up and he tried to run off down the hall, but Mac who had been only a few steps behind Harm, reached out and grabbed him by the arm. The man flung her to the floor and tried to kick out at her, but Mac blocked his foot. He turned away and dashed off. Mac tried to follow but was hampered by the skirt of her dress.
"Damn!" she cursed. Then she looked to where Harm had gone down. He was doubled up, his knees to his chest, and his face was twisted in pain. She and Lynn reached him at the same time and they both knelt down beside him.
"Commander, are you alright?" Lynn asked. Mac looked at her for a moment, and saw that her lip was swollen and bleeding.
"I think so," he groaned. Every breath he took ached, and he knew the feeling. He tried to sit up, knowing that searing pain was coming. "Ow," he said when it hit.
"Take it easy there, squid," Mac said helping him.
Harm closed his eyes. "I'll be okay, I just need a minute."
A moment later the Admiral appeared in the hallway, along with some of the other operagoers. He took in the scene before him, turned to the onlookers and said, "Go on back to the show. Everything seems to be under control."
Most of the onlookers obeyed, and when the hall was empty save Lynn, Harm, and Mac and himself he hissed, "What the hell is going on?"
Lynn held out a crumpled file, and as soon as the Admiral looked at it, he raised his eyes to hers.
"Miss O'Connor, where did you get this?" the Admiral asked.
"I was walking back from the powder room when a man bumped into me, spilling the contents of that file, sir."
The Admiral took the file and briefly read through it pages and it didn't take long until the sour expression on his face was replaced by one of urgency. "What man? Where is he?"
"Commander Rabb tried to stop him, but I think he may have been injured," Lynn answered, "The man got away, sir."
Admiral Grant looked at the pained look on Harm's face. "You don't look so good yourself, Miss O'Connor," he said, "Commander, can you walk out of here without looking hurt?"
Harm took a deep breath and said, "Yes, sir."
"Good," Admiral Grant nodded, "Then, this is what we'll do. Colonel you'll get Miss O'Connor cleaned up and then we'll get the Commander to a hospital. Just try to hold it together until we're out of sight of the press."
Harm nodded, and as he painfully struggled to his feet with Mac holding his arm, the Admiral returned to their seats to get their cover and bags. Once he was standing he shook the grimace off his face. "I'm alright as long as I don't move too much."
When the Admiral returned Lynn pulled a handkerchief from her bag and hand it to Mac. Mac dabbed lightly at Lynn's swollen and bleeding lip. Soon, they were all ready to leave.
They set off down the hallway, the Admiral leading the way, Mac helped Harm to follow and Lynn brought up the rear carrying everyone's coats, hats and handbags. They finally reached the entrance to the theater and walked out onto the red carpet that led from the door to the street. The reporters and photographers, who were still there, snapped pictures and asked questions about why they were leaving at intermission. But the officers and Lynn paid them no heed, the Admiral nodded to them and said 'official business', but he quickly stepped into the waiting limousine. Mac waited for Harm to slide in, and then followed. Lynn got in last, and shut the door.
Harm was leaning his head back, and sweat glistened on his forehead. He was taking quick shallow breaths. Lynn rolled down the divider so she could speak to the driver.
"Queen's Hospital, driver," she said curtly, "Step on it."
"Yes, ma'am," the driver replied as the divider rose.
Lynn retook her seat, and the admiral began to question her. "Miss O'Connor, was he the only man in the corridor?"
"Yes, sir," Lynn answered.
"Can you describe what the looked like?" he pressed her.
"He was a few inches shorter than the Commander, had dark hair, broad shoulders," Lynn said, but then she paused and looked confused, "The lights were dimmed, and I didn't seen anything else. He was wearing a tuxedo though."
"So were all the men in the audience," the Admiral sighed.
"Did you see what race he was?" Mac asked.
"I couldn't tell."
For a moment Harm's painful breathing was the only sound they heard, then he finally said in a strained voice, "What's in that file, sir?"
"It's classified information," the Admiral responded, "That came out of my office."