Tuesday 0930 Local JAG HQ Falls Church, VA

Harm and Mac were bombarded by questions about Harriet and the new baby when they arrived at work that morning. Everyone wanted to know everything about the baby. By the time they had reached the conference room for the daily staff meeting, they had already decided to that they should just hang a sign on the bulletin board and let everyone read it for themselves. They sat down on opposite sides of the table and sat comfortably awaiting the Admiral; when he finally entered, he was already looking sour.

"Keep you seats," he ordered briskly, "Let's keep this short. I have another meeting that's already started."

A few nervous glances were shared between the officers. No one wanted to upset the Admiral anymore than was necessary. Mac looked around the table, and upon seeing everyone else suddenly over interested in the information they had brought with them, she decided to speak first.

"Admiral, as you know, Harriet gave birth to a healthy baby girl last night," she began, more for everybody who didn't already know than for the Admiral, "Which means Harriet will be one reserve duty for a few weeks or months. We'll need to start looking for someone who can run the office while she's away."

"I think Gunnery Sergeant Galindez is fit to that task, Colonel," the Admiral pointed out.

"Yes, sir. The Gunny is very capable," Mac continued cautiously, "But he and Harriet often shared the duties. I think the whole office may be too much for one person to handle to the best of his ability."

The Admiral nodded. "Talk to the Gunny. If he feels that he'll need someone to help out, I'm sure we can find someone." He paused to consult the papers in front of him before continuing, "It looks like we've got a light case load at present, so if there is no more pressing business." He trailed off as he rose to his feet. "Rabb, Mackenzie, I want to see you in my office in ten minutes."

"Aye, aye, sir," they answered together, both of them standing at attention. As soon as the Admiral had left, they shared a confused look. They weren't the only ones.

"What's up?" Sturgis asked them.

Mac shrugged as she left the office to returned to her desk, but Harm grinned and said, "Sounds like he's been on the phone with the SECNAV already."

Sturgis shared the grin, and shook his head.

Ten minutes later, Harm and Mac stood waiting outside the Admiral's office. Tiner, who didn't look very busy, was asking them all kinds of questions about the baby. Mac finally got fed up and told him to call Bud and ask him. Tiner looked severely chastised, but he didn't have long to brood. The Admiral had called Harm and Mac into his office.

Harm and Mac looked briefly at each other, both wondering the same thing: what had Harm done now?

They entered the office, and noticed right away that they were not the only people standing before the Admiral's desk. A young woman stood ramrod straight, navy blue uniform squared away. Her hair was cut short, and it flipped out just above her collar. But the color of it made Mac uneasy. She and Harm both came to attention in front of the Admiral's desk.

When he finally addressed them he said, "Commander, Colonel, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant Walden." Harm and Mac both turned to greet the young officer, but they both stopped and gaped openly at her. "I believe you already know her as Special Agent Catherine Grey."

The Admiral leaned back in his chair and watched at comprehension dawned on their faces. Harm looked incredulous, and Mac looked miserably at Kate. "Oh, Kate, your hair," she said softly, touching Kate's short upturned locks. Kate shrugged a little, but said nothing.

Finally the Admiral said, "Special Agent Grey has just been telling me that she needs our help with a mission in the middle-east. Agent Grey, please continue."

"Sir, I need Colonel Mackenzie and Commander Rabb to get me into Iraq. Once I'm there I can find him."

"Find who?" Harm asked, looking from Kate to the Admiral.

"Webb," Kate told him simply. Harm shook his head, thinking that he should have listened to his gut when he'd thought Clay had something to do with why Kate answered he door with a gun.

"How are we supposed to 'get you in'?" Mac asked. "It isn't easy to smuggle someone into another country, let along someone whose passport reads "CIA Operative" as occupation."

"That's why I'm in uniform, ma'am," Kate told her. "We go out to the Seahawk, where you will be conducting a routine review of the legal system on board; I've checked the records, and she is due for a review. Once we're on board, you will discover some reason to go ashore."

"What reason?" Mac asked suspiciously.

"There will be an open case requiring you to interview a witness who resides in Baghdad, ma'am. We will fly into Baghdad, conduct the interview, and then we will find Clay."

"Miss Grey, I can spare the Commander and the Colonel for a week at most," the Admiral told her, and then he asked skeptically, "How do you intend to find Mr. Webb?"

Kate nodded, accepting his skepticism. "Admiral, Webb trained me. I know all of his methods, every contact, every contingency plan. If you can get me to Baghdad, I can find him."

There was a stiff silence as they waited to the Admiral to make his decision. As much as he despised the CIA, its policies, its operations, and the way it used its people, he liked this young woman. She had spirit, as well as discipline. Every phrase she had spoken had begun or ended with sir or ma'am. "Rabb, Mac," he finally said, "Are you willing to take this assignment?"

"Absolutely, sir," Mac replied, her face set.

"Yes, sir," Harm said.

The Admiral nodded. "Then, you have one week. Dismissed."

Kate joined Harm and Mac in coming to attention and saying "Aye, aye" before they turned to leave the office. "Oh," the Admiral called to their backs, "Don't get in to too much trouble."

Harm and Mac stalked angrily across the bullpen, Kate walking briskly between them. Judging by the looks on the senior attorneys' faces and Kate's guilty silence, it looked like Kate was a prisoner being escorted to the brig. When they reached Harm's office, Harm went in first, Kate second, and Mac shut the door rather harder than she intended to behind them.

Kate stood at attention in front of Harm's desk. The air was so think with tension that it seemed to crackle. Mac walked slowly around the room and came to stand behind Harm who was now seated. Kate could feel both sets of eyes boring through her.

"Miss Gr," Harm started.

"Commander," Kate interrupted, looking over Harm's head and out the window. "I had to do it this way, sir. I truly apologize for the inconvenience."

"'Inconvenience'?!" Harm repeated heatedly. "'Inconvenience' doesn't begin to describe what you just caused. Do you have any idea how many regulations and laws you've just asked us to violate?"

"And not just us," Mac continued when Harm paused for breath, "You pulled our C.O. into this as well. An Admiral, the Judge Advocate General! What did you think you were doing?"

"Ma'am, it was the only way," Kate said, her eyes still focused straight ahead.

"You don't have to carry on this charade with us, Grey," Harm said frustrated, "Stop standing at attention."

"I can't, sir," she replied, and both Harm and Mac shot her extremely annoyed looks. "Please, give me a chance to explain." She had taken her eyes from the window and was looking pleadingly at them both in turn.

Mac looked at Harm, and he looked back. As Kate watched they silently came to a decision, and finally Mac addressed her, "All right, Lieutenant, explain yourself."

Relieved, Kate took a deep breath and began to explain. "I've been suspended from the CIA, ma'am," she said heavily.

Mac's head jerked up and Harm's mouth fell open. "This isn't a sanctioned mission?" Mac asked, her shock evident. "You got the Admiral's permission by telling him this was CIA backed."

Kate nodded solemnly. "With all due respect, ma'am, I don't think that had anything to do with the Admiral's decision." Harm was forced to smile ruefully at the truth in that statement. Kate continued, "I know it sounds bad, but I think there's more at stake here than just-- just Clay's life."

Harm looked at Kate through the awkward silence that had fallen. He knew there had to be something she wasn't telling them. Kate seemed to understand because she said, "I think Clay's disappearance has something to do with the espionage ring we were trying to break in London, and I think it goes a lot farther than we thought it did."

After a few moments, Harm nodded. "All right, let's do it."