Title: Paraguay didn't solve anything - Part 7
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JAG Headquarters
Fall Church, Virginia
1349 Zulu
Harm shifted restlessly, his mind sifting through recent events at JAG. What did he do now? He had just spent the last 15 minutes standing here in the admiral's office, listening while the admiral distributed new cases to Bud, Mac, Sturgis and just about anyone who walked through that door. But not him.
"Dismissed!" the admiral said. "Harm, could you remain? I need to speak to you."
Harm? Since when did the admiral call him Harm? Occasionally in the past, but lately, never. Mac gave him a sidelong glance as she walked out. She picked up on it too.
"Take a seat." the admiral gestured. "Harm, you're being sent TAD." He passed Harm a small slip of folded paper across the top of the big desk.
Curious, Harm unfolded and read four words. 'Froltech Industries, Diamond Lake.' Whoa. The Aurora? He was used to surprises in the military but this was a complete one eighty. He looked over to the admiral who was studiously reading a file on his desk.
"Sir?" he inquired.
"I've been told you know this is about," he said.
"Yes, sir," Harm said. He had left his 'English to Company' dictionary at home again. Was the CIA asking him to fly? "Sir..."
"Harm, it is what it appears. They want you to do a little flying for them. Just for a couple of days. Piece of cake." Admiral Chegwidden had put down his reading and was studying him. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"No sir," said Harm slowly, thinking. He raised one eyebrow and looked at his commanding officer. "Do you?"
AJ shook his head. "When Rumsfeld's office tells you do something, you do it. My opinion is neither sought nor desired."
"Yes, sir," Harm said. He folded the small white paper and turned it around in his hands.
"Not looking forward to flying a super sonic aircraft, commander?"
"It's not that, sir," said Harm.
"Surprised they asked you back so soon after your debut on nighttime TV?"
"Not really. In the Aurora's case, you are either too high and too fast for the enemy to catch you or you are ejecting out of an untested aircraft at Mach 6. Or you are traveling downward in a spiraling uncontrolled flight from 90,000 feet with plenty of time for them to blow you out of the sky. Either way, there won't be much of you to find." Harm tried to make light of the difficulties.
"Then what is it?" asked the admiral.
Harm remained silent for a minute thinking about Mattie. This won't take long. One day of travel there, one day to brief, one day for the mission and one day back. Five days tops. Still more than a week to work on Mattie's hearing. Like the admiral said, piece of cake.
He refocused and looked at the admiral. "Nothing, sir."
"Dismissed," said the admiral.
Mac caught up to him as he strode down the quiet hallway to his office. "Off somewhere, Harm?"
"Yes," was his clipped reply. "TAD."
"Oh. That it explains it then. It didn't sound like Chegwidden was mad at you, but ya never know. Where are you going?"
"Classified," he said.
"Classified? A JAG investigation?" Mac felt confused. Then it dawned on her.
"Not Navy. The spooks again," he said blandly.
Mac watched his face for a hint of his reaction to this news. Nothing. "You okay with that?"
"The timing sucks but besides that, yes," he said.
She thought for a moment. "Oh, Mattie's hearing."
"Yeah. This should only take a couple of days. I'll be back in plenty of time." Harm started to move down the hallway.
"Okay, then," said Mac, not knowing what to say. Not the spooks again. What did they want Harm for? "I thought they were mad at you?"
"Apparently not enough," he said. "Got to run. See you, Mac."
She stood in the now deserted hallway. "Good luck, Harm," she said to no one in particular.
Dulles Airport
Departure Lounge
Gate 14
Later that day
Harm put his flight bag down with a thunk and sat it the small plastic and chrome seats. His mental white board was flashing. There was something he forgot to do.
He had wrapped up all loose ends at JAG, packed and made a quick trip to Langley to get his travel documents. What else?
Oh yeah. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed a number. Holding it up to his ear, he heard the words "Grace Aviation."
"Doing your homework?" he asked.
"I have to get two planes ready for tomorrow," she said. "So, no..."
"Mattie, do your homework. It's important too," Harm rolled his eyes. "Did you even go to school today?"
"Yes..." she said. "But there's a lot going on here. When are you coming down?"
"That's what I called about. I'm going out of town for a couple of days. I'll be back on Tuesday."
"Tuesday! I thought we were going to work on my hearing this weekend," she said.
"I'll be back Tuesday. We will work on it then. Whatever it takes. Mattie?" he said.
"Yes?"
"I may be out of touch for a couple of days. Don't worry. It doesn't mean anything. Just keep at the homework and school. Okay?"
"Okay." Harm could hear the disappointment in her voice.
"I've got to go. They are calling my flight," he said.
Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
Georgetown
0108 Zulu
Mac folded some bright Christmas paper over a box with one hand and tore off some tape with her teeth using the other. Chloe's present needed to be mailed ASAP. She was spending Christmas with her Dad in Europe. Mac sighed. This was one Christmas where she needed Chloe more than Chloe needed her. Mac regretted that they couldn't get together.
She would salvage Christmas the best she could. There was always the JAG gang. Christmas eve at Bud and Harriet's was always good. But somehow, this year was shaping up to be a little different. The office was a little colder and didn't feel as much like family anymore. Sturgis was in his latest funk. The admiral had spent six months this past year either yelling at them or isolated in his office. Things were better but...
Harm. Usually, she would fall back on Harm and spend Christmas with him. But now? She just couldn't see it. Too much water had passed under the bridge. He would probably spend Christmas with Mattie in Blacksburg, anyway.
She wondered what this Mattie Grace was like. A love of aircraft was an obvious bond between Harm and Mattie. But there must be more than that. Her own relationship with Chloe was truly fulfilling. It had started out that she was helping Chloe. Now, she realized, that Chloe offered as much to her as she did in return. She loved her like a daughter.
Mac heard the muffled ring of her cell phone. She walked over to her purse on the table by the entranceway. Flipping it open, she said. "Mackenzie."
"Sarah, it's Clay. I got a message you wanted to talk to me?" It sounded like he was talking from the middle of a party.
"Yes. Do you have a minute?" she said.
"Shoot," she could hear him shut a door behind him and the noise abated.
"Harm has gone TAD back to the CIA. Do you know anything about this?" she asked.
"Not much. Just scuttlebutt," he said.
"So you didn't have anything to do with this latest mission?" she asked point blank.
"First Harm thinks I was responsible for getting fired from the CIA. Now you think I'm responsible for getting him back?" said Clay.
"Did you?" she said.
"This is Blaisdell's operation. Not mine."
Mac tried to remember what Clay had said about Blaisdell, "Is this dangerous?"
"If it was a just a walk in the park, why would Blaisdell go up the chain of command to the SecDef just to get Harm?"
That's what Mac was afraid of. "Do you know what's going on?" she asked.
"Yes, classified is the answer. There is nothing you can do. He's flying. And he'll come back in one piece or he won't. It's as easy as that."
She was silent.
"Sarah, it's what we all do. You included. Remember?" he said. She heard a click as he hung up the phone. 'Chatty, Isn't he?' she thought. She closed her phone slowly.
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JAG Headquarters
Fall Church, Virginia
1349 Zulu
Harm shifted restlessly, his mind sifting through recent events at JAG. What did he do now? He had just spent the last 15 minutes standing here in the admiral's office, listening while the admiral distributed new cases to Bud, Mac, Sturgis and just about anyone who walked through that door. But not him.
"Dismissed!" the admiral said. "Harm, could you remain? I need to speak to you."
Harm? Since when did the admiral call him Harm? Occasionally in the past, but lately, never. Mac gave him a sidelong glance as she walked out. She picked up on it too.
"Take a seat." the admiral gestured. "Harm, you're being sent TAD." He passed Harm a small slip of folded paper across the top of the big desk.
Curious, Harm unfolded and read four words. 'Froltech Industries, Diamond Lake.' Whoa. The Aurora? He was used to surprises in the military but this was a complete one eighty. He looked over to the admiral who was studiously reading a file on his desk.
"Sir?" he inquired.
"I've been told you know this is about," he said.
"Yes, sir," Harm said. He had left his 'English to Company' dictionary at home again. Was the CIA asking him to fly? "Sir..."
"Harm, it is what it appears. They want you to do a little flying for them. Just for a couple of days. Piece of cake." Admiral Chegwidden had put down his reading and was studying him. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"No sir," said Harm slowly, thinking. He raised one eyebrow and looked at his commanding officer. "Do you?"
AJ shook his head. "When Rumsfeld's office tells you do something, you do it. My opinion is neither sought nor desired."
"Yes, sir," Harm said. He folded the small white paper and turned it around in his hands.
"Not looking forward to flying a super sonic aircraft, commander?"
"It's not that, sir," said Harm.
"Surprised they asked you back so soon after your debut on nighttime TV?"
"Not really. In the Aurora's case, you are either too high and too fast for the enemy to catch you or you are ejecting out of an untested aircraft at Mach 6. Or you are traveling downward in a spiraling uncontrolled flight from 90,000 feet with plenty of time for them to blow you out of the sky. Either way, there won't be much of you to find." Harm tried to make light of the difficulties.
"Then what is it?" asked the admiral.
Harm remained silent for a minute thinking about Mattie. This won't take long. One day of travel there, one day to brief, one day for the mission and one day back. Five days tops. Still more than a week to work on Mattie's hearing. Like the admiral said, piece of cake.
He refocused and looked at the admiral. "Nothing, sir."
"Dismissed," said the admiral.
Mac caught up to him as he strode down the quiet hallway to his office. "Off somewhere, Harm?"
"Yes," was his clipped reply. "TAD."
"Oh. That it explains it then. It didn't sound like Chegwidden was mad at you, but ya never know. Where are you going?"
"Classified," he said.
"Classified? A JAG investigation?" Mac felt confused. Then it dawned on her.
"Not Navy. The spooks again," he said blandly.
Mac watched his face for a hint of his reaction to this news. Nothing. "You okay with that?"
"The timing sucks but besides that, yes," he said.
She thought for a moment. "Oh, Mattie's hearing."
"Yeah. This should only take a couple of days. I'll be back in plenty of time." Harm started to move down the hallway.
"Okay, then," said Mac, not knowing what to say. Not the spooks again. What did they want Harm for? "I thought they were mad at you?"
"Apparently not enough," he said. "Got to run. See you, Mac."
She stood in the now deserted hallway. "Good luck, Harm," she said to no one in particular.
Dulles Airport
Departure Lounge
Gate 14
Later that day
Harm put his flight bag down with a thunk and sat it the small plastic and chrome seats. His mental white board was flashing. There was something he forgot to do.
He had wrapped up all loose ends at JAG, packed and made a quick trip to Langley to get his travel documents. What else?
Oh yeah. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed a number. Holding it up to his ear, he heard the words "Grace Aviation."
"Doing your homework?" he asked.
"I have to get two planes ready for tomorrow," she said. "So, no..."
"Mattie, do your homework. It's important too," Harm rolled his eyes. "Did you even go to school today?"
"Yes..." she said. "But there's a lot going on here. When are you coming down?"
"That's what I called about. I'm going out of town for a couple of days. I'll be back on Tuesday."
"Tuesday! I thought we were going to work on my hearing this weekend," she said.
"I'll be back Tuesday. We will work on it then. Whatever it takes. Mattie?" he said.
"Yes?"
"I may be out of touch for a couple of days. Don't worry. It doesn't mean anything. Just keep at the homework and school. Okay?"
"Okay." Harm could hear the disappointment in her voice.
"I've got to go. They are calling my flight," he said.
Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
Georgetown
0108 Zulu
Mac folded some bright Christmas paper over a box with one hand and tore off some tape with her teeth using the other. Chloe's present needed to be mailed ASAP. She was spending Christmas with her Dad in Europe. Mac sighed. This was one Christmas where she needed Chloe more than Chloe needed her. Mac regretted that they couldn't get together.
She would salvage Christmas the best she could. There was always the JAG gang. Christmas eve at Bud and Harriet's was always good. But somehow, this year was shaping up to be a little different. The office was a little colder and didn't feel as much like family anymore. Sturgis was in his latest funk. The admiral had spent six months this past year either yelling at them or isolated in his office. Things were better but...
Harm. Usually, she would fall back on Harm and spend Christmas with him. But now? She just couldn't see it. Too much water had passed under the bridge. He would probably spend Christmas with Mattie in Blacksburg, anyway.
She wondered what this Mattie Grace was like. A love of aircraft was an obvious bond between Harm and Mattie. But there must be more than that. Her own relationship with Chloe was truly fulfilling. It had started out that she was helping Chloe. Now, she realized, that Chloe offered as much to her as she did in return. She loved her like a daughter.
Mac heard the muffled ring of her cell phone. She walked over to her purse on the table by the entranceway. Flipping it open, she said. "Mackenzie."
"Sarah, it's Clay. I got a message you wanted to talk to me?" It sounded like he was talking from the middle of a party.
"Yes. Do you have a minute?" she said.
"Shoot," she could hear him shut a door behind him and the noise abated.
"Harm has gone TAD back to the CIA. Do you know anything about this?" she asked.
"Not much. Just scuttlebutt," he said.
"So you didn't have anything to do with this latest mission?" she asked point blank.
"First Harm thinks I was responsible for getting fired from the CIA. Now you think I'm responsible for getting him back?" said Clay.
"Did you?" she said.
"This is Blaisdell's operation. Not mine."
Mac tried to remember what Clay had said about Blaisdell, "Is this dangerous?"
"If it was a just a walk in the park, why would Blaisdell go up the chain of command to the SecDef just to get Harm?"
That's what Mac was afraid of. "Do you know what's going on?" she asked.
"Yes, classified is the answer. There is nothing you can do. He's flying. And he'll come back in one piece or he won't. It's as easy as that."
She was silent.
"Sarah, it's what we all do. You included. Remember?" he said. She heard a click as he hung up the phone. 'Chatty, Isn't he?' she thought. She closed her phone slowly.
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