Title: Life's Consequences
Author: Anaika Skywalker
Author's Email:
Rating: PG -13
Disclaimer: I don't own JAG or NCIS; I just like to spread my wings occasionally.
Author's Note: Thank you once more to everyone who reviewed and those of you who are following along. Starryeyes10, Winjan, queenofdiamonds1, Jbird7986, Not A Muggle (Thank you once again for pointing the mum/mom problem for me) I'd also like to stay, I read all my reviews and print them out to keep them. I do value what you guys have to say.
And for those of you who are interested, the title of the chapter comes from the episode: 'High Ground' from season one.
Life's ConsequencesChapter Six: One shot, one kill
USS Patrick Henry - Atlantic Ocean (Bearing –Norfolk Naval Base)
Sera Mitchell felt the barrel of the rife at the back of her head along with a booted foot pressed hard against her spine, holding her down so she couldn't move.
"Well, well, isn't this something. Two for the price of one."
She knew that voice. As did Harm, he raised his head, unable to get up since Sera had him pinned to the floor and she was being held down. "Palmer!"
"The one and only," Clark Palmer bragged. "I told you one day I'd get you and here you are. The legendary Harmon Rabb, Jr and the love of his life," he stepped back. "Get up and keep you hands where I can see them!"
Sera did, and then helped Harm up, both turned slowly, taking note of where everyone was in the room. Other then themselves everyone else in the mess had been moved to one side. Including David, Jen and Tuna.
"You sent the transmission," Harm guessed.
"I did."
"Why?" Sera asked. "You didn't know Harm would be sent out here."
"Didn't I?" He countered. "He is the secNav's golden boy."
"Then you also know the rest of the Arch Angels will be on the way too." Harm declared.
"More the merrier," Palmer grinned. "Besides by the time they get here, one, if not both of you will be dead." He singled one of his men, who came over, giving Palmer his rifle he took a black case from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a syringe, he filed it with the drug included and moved towards Harm. "Do it." Palmer ordered.
The syringe was stabbed in Harm's arm and the drug injected, he removed it just as roughly as he'd injected it, putting it all away he took his rifle back.
"What did you do, Palmer?" Sera demanded, grabbing hold of her fiancé as his legs gave out on him. She went down to the floor with him.
Palmer chuckled. "It's a little concoction I invented, in a matter of moments he's not going to know who's real and who's not."
She saw Harm's eyes become glassy as the drug took effect as she cradled his head in her lap. "Harm," she caressed his cheek. "Harm."
He tried to focus on her face, but it kept going out of focus and her voice sounded like she was in a tunnel. "Sera."
"I'm here, hang on."
"No for long," Palmer grabbed her and pulled her to her feet, coursing Harm's head to hit the deck, he groaned but didn't move. "Get him on his feet," he ordered two of his men.
They did so, holding the staggering Captain up.
"Angel and I are going to take a little walk, Hammer," Palmer said sarcastically. "Not that your in any condition to follow." He turned to his second. "You know what to do."
The man nodded, he handcuffed Sera's hands behind her back. Holding her while Palmer swapped his rifle for a nine-millimeter, before shoving her roughly back to him. "Enjoy your walk," his second smirked.
Shoving the pistol into her ribs, Palmer forced Sera towards the hatch. Armed Marines covered the corridor outside; Palmer kept Sera in front of him.
"Shot him!" She ordered.
"Do it and I'll shot her," Palmer warned and pushed her forward.
Not one Marine moved, as soon as they were out of sight they stormed the mess bringing down Palmers men.
Jen rushed over to Harm. "Sir?" He looked at her blankly. "Get a corpsman!" She shouted and then went over to the man who had done this to her driver, her friend and backhanding him in anger. "Where's the antidote?"
He grinned. "Palmer has it."
"Shit!" She swore. She rushed back to Harm. "Sir, Hammer. Palmer has the antidote."
"Help me up," he said slowly, now realizing who she was.
"Sir?"
He struggled to get to his feet. "Help me up!"
She did. "You need to see a doctor?"
"No," he pushed past her to the nearest Marine. "Which way did they go?"
"Towards the hanger sir."
"Give me your side arm." Harm ordered.
"Sir?"
Harm couldn't believe this. Was he talking in a different language or something? "Give me your side arm. Now!" The Marine handed the weapon over along with extra clips. Harm shoved the clips into a pocket and staggered out.
Jen and David relieved two Marines of their side arms and clips and rushed after the Captain.
Harm felt as if he was walking on air, he staggered, steadying himself against the bulkhead. Pushing on he made it to the hanger; it had been cleared of all personal. He could see them a head of him, Sera and Palmer. "Sera!"
She struggled against her subjugator. "Harm!"
Another voice penetrated his foggy brain. 'What are you doing son, you can barely stand?'
"Dad?" He could see the near transparent figure of his father standing nearby. "I've got to save her."
'By killing yourself?'
Harm stumbled on. "I love her."
'Then trust her son.'
Sera realized Harm was fighting a battle in his mind, a battle of reality. "Harm. Harm, listen to me!" She saw him look her way. "Listen to my voice Harm, only my voice."
Another transparent figure materialized before him. 'You're going to kill her like you did me, Harm.' It was Lt. Mace, his RIO when he'd been flying off the SeaHawk. His RIO who'd died when he'd had his ramp strike.
"No," he shook his head. "I won't."
'Yes you will Harm, you can't help yourself.'
"No, Mace, I won't."
"Harm, listen to me." Sera tried again.
"Give it up Angel, the drug is in his system now. He doesn't know what's real and what's not. He could kill you thinking you were me." Palmer hissed in her ear.
She ignored him. "Listen to me Harm. Your father is dead, he's not here, neither is Mace."
Harm shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs from his brain. He armed the pistol at them, fighting to stop his arms from trembling with muscle spasms. He wasn't sure which one was Palmer he couldn't focus.
"Harm listen to me," Sera insisted trying again. "It's the drug, you've got to fight it."
Jen and David rushed into the hanger, seeing what was happening.
"He's going to kill Angel, Zapper. We've got to do something."
"He won't, Jen. You have to have faith," David said trying to believe it himself. "He won't kill the woman he loves."
"Ma'am, Palmer has the antidote!" Jen yelled to Sera. Then to her driver, praying he would understand her. "Hammer, Angel is on your left!"
Harm heard the voice – Angel is on his left. An Angel was on his left? What did they mean? God he wished his brain didn't feel like cotton wool.
Sera had heard Jen. Palmer had the antidote.
"Tick, tick, little Angel. His time is slipping away with every minute," Palmer condemned. He pushed her away from him and pointed the pistol at Harm, slowly squeezing the trigger.
"No!" Sera screamed, turning she saw Harm fall like a rag doll. She managed to get her cuffed hands in front of her and launched herself at Palmer, knocking the weapon from his hand. Even with her hands bond she could fight, and she did. Beating him relentless.
Jen rushed to Harm, as did David. She throw down her weapon and checked his pulse, feeling one. "He's alive." She pulled a handkerchief from one of the zipped pockets of her flight suite and pressed it to the head wound. "The bullet grazed his skull. You've got to stop Angel, we need that antidote."
David nodded; he got to his feet and ran for Mitchell. He tackled her to the ground, stopping her from kicking Palmer, who was now down. "Sera stop, we need the antidote!" He commandeered and held her down. "Sera, Harm is alive but he won't be if we don't get that antidote!"
She yielded, breathing hard. "All right."
He got up, crawling over to Palmer he patted the man down, finding what he was looking for as Marines rushed into the hanger with Captain Ingles and a couple of corpsmen. Captain Church and the rest of the Arch Angels were on their heals. He stood and dragged Sera to her feet. "I've got it, come on."
They left Palmer to the Marines and ran for Harm, Sera skidded to a stop, falling to her knees near Jen. She held her hands out to a Marine. "Get these off me."
"Yes Ma'am." He did so quickly.
She took over from Jen, watching as the corpsman took the antidote from David and administered it to Harm. "We've got to get Captain Rabb to sickbay," he announced. "Please Ma'am. Move out the way."
Captain Church though he might have to grab Mitchell to move her, but he didn't. She got up and moved out of the way along with Jen. Letting the corpsmen get Harm onto a stretcher and rush him sickbay.
The noise of a commotion, made Sera and the others look, Palmer was struggling with the Marines. He grabbed the side arm from one and aimed it at Sera. She moved like lightening, snatching the pistol Jen had retrieved from the deck, she aimed it at Palmer and fired. The force of the bullet hitting him, took him and the Marines to the deck.
"Bloody hell!" Ingles exclaimed.
The bullet Sera had fired had hit Palmer between the eyes, killing him instantly. She handed the weapon to the nearest Marine and walked away. Jen and David, getting a nod from Church ran after her.
"What in the hell are you training your people to be Jeff, aviators or assassins?" Ingles demanded.
"What ever is needed," Jeff Church answered bluntly, then he and the rest of the Arch Angels headed for sickbay. An Arch Angel was down, that meant they rallied together. They supported each other. It was their code.
Sera, Jen and David waited for news at sickbay. Harm had been rushed in and no one so far had come out to give them any news to what his condition was.
Sera sat next to Jen. "Are you all right, Sticks?"
She smiled thinly. "I should be asking you that, Ma'am."
"I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about."
Jen knew she couldn't argue with her. "I was thinking back to the last time I sat waiting for news at sickbay, the then Lieutenant Roberts had stepped on a mine. Hammer and Colonel Mackenzie sat with me and we waited."
"Harm is going to be fine," Sera reassured, remembering Harm telling her about what happened.
"How can you be so sure, you were ready to kill Palmer when you though he'd killed the Captain?"
"Because Harm is a fighter, he won't let this beat him," Sera told her. "I lost it there in the hanger, I knew Harm wasn't dead but I lost it anyway. I wanted to hurt Palmer for all the times he'd hurt Harm."
"He can't hurt him any more, Angel," David said gently as he sat next to her.
"I know."
Captain Church and the Arch Angels came in; bring the three of them to their feet. "Any word?" He asked.
"No sir." Sera answered.
"Very well, sit. We wait."
They did, those who could find a chair sat, those who didn't stood and they waited.
"Ma'am," Jen addressed Sera again.
"Yeah Jen?"
"What did you, Zapper, Skates, Hammer, Matrix and Snow do, to be awarded the Navy Cross?" She asked.
"We went to hell and back, Jen," She remarked. "Doing what we were trained to do, we walked into danger, and performed a miracle that if we failed would have cost us our lives."
"And we volunteered to do it," David added over hearing them. "It was a damn crazy plan, but it worked and it saved the lives of a lot of our guys and stopped a disaster from happening."
"That doesn't tell me much."
"Sorry Jen, I really don't want to talk about it, even if I could." Sera declared.
"Yes Ma'am," she hesitated for a moment trying to find away to say what she needed to. "How do you do it?"
"What Jen."
"Sit there so calm, be so calm. Harm is your fiancé?"
Sera sighed and looked at the younger woman. "Inside I want to fall apart Jen, but I can't. I'm an officer in the United States Navy and Harm is too. We know what's expected of us every time we put the uniform on or sit in a cockpit. We can't let our personal feelings get in the way," she explained. "We've been through so much Jen, we've hidden what we felt for so long that in situations like this it has it's advantages."
"I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin, Harm has been more then just an superior officer to me. Now that he's hurt…"
"Jen," Sera took her hand. "I know what your feeling, I feel it too, but if I let it eat at me I can't function and I know Harm needs me to be strong. He needs us all to be strong."
Jen nodded. "Yes Ma'am."
David put his arm around his driver. "He'll be fine."
Sera rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.
Jen watched the two of them; they had a closeness that only two friends could have, two friends who depended on each other. It was then she saw it, the hidden turmoil that was raging inside Sera. She looked around at the other members of the squadron, all were worried but Sera's pain was more evident then the others. Perhaps only Lt. Commander Hawks knew what she was feeling, she and Harm had a close bond because they'd flown together and ejected out of an F-14 together.
The door opened bringing all those who'd been sitting to their feet. The doctor wasn't surprised to see them all, he'd dealt with the Arch Angels before. "Commander Mitchell."
Sera stepped way from David and Jen. "Is Captain Rabb all right?"
"The bullet grazed his skull, he required stitches but there was no other damage. The antidote is working, he's groggy but we expect that. He'll be fine by morning. Right now he's asking for you and I want him to remain still and un-agitated. If that means having you with him, then I want you to remain by his side. He needs to rest, but won't until you're there."
"I'll settle him down, doc."
"Good, Harmon Rabb isn't the best patient at the best of times," he remarked, recalling the Captain from when he served aboard the Patrick Henry. His comment brought chuckles from those present. He showed the Commander into where Captain Rabb was settled.
She crossed to Harm's side, the relief evident on her face. "Hi sailor."
"Hi squid," he said woozily. He saw the tears that were sliding down her cheeks; he reached up and brushed them away. "Hey what's this?"
"I'm just happy you're alive," she told him taking his hand in hers, kissing it. "For a moment I thought I'd lost you."
"No hope."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Captain," the doctor interrupted them. "You need to rest."
"I will, doc," he agreed, fighting to stay awake.
Sera smiled, glancing back. "I'll make sure he rests, doc."
"Then I'll report the Captain's condition to the Skipper and see if I can get those aviators out of my sickbay."
"Good luck." Harm muttered.
The doctor didn't comment he just nodded before leaving.
Harm left his eyelids weighted more then they should have. "Stay with me?" He asked Sera.
She hoped up onto the bed beside him and he shifted to lay spooned against her, his head on her chest. She stroked his hair. "Sleep."
He closed his eyes, but didn't give in. "Tell me what happened after Palmer shot me."
"I beat the living hell out of him," she retorted, knowing by his breathing he was losing the battle. "Zapper tackled me to the deck to stop me. He found the antidote as Ingles arrived with Marines, the Arch Angels and a couple of corpsmen. One got the antidote into you and they rushed you here. Palmer got a pistol off a Marine and was going to shot me, but I shot him first."
"Is he dead?" He asked, being lulled off to sleep by her heartbeat.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not, the bastard deserved it," she said bluntly.
"Not for Palmer, but the fact you had to go through that."
Sera smiled warmly. "I did it because I love you and I know you would have and have done the same for me."
Harm sighed. "I love you too…" His voice faded and he gave into the darkness.
She held him, resting her head against the headboard as she closed her eyes, exhausting was catching up as the adrenalin she'd been running on dissipated and she fell asleep.
A few minutes later, Jen and David slipped quietly into the room, seeing them together. "I told you they'd be fine," he whispered.
"I know, I just had to see for myself," she told him.
He slipped his arm around her, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Come on Sticks lets some coffee."
"Sounds good," she agreed as they left. "And breakfast, being held hostage has made me hungry."
David chuckled. "Now you're really starting to sound like Matrix."
She grinned. "Thank Zapper."
"You're welcome Sticks," he smirked and they both laughed.
Later that day, Sera left sickbay and put a call through to her son reassuring him they were both safe, she then headed up to Vultures Row.
Captain Church found her there. "Commander."
"Sir."
"How is Rabb?"
"Still asleep sir," she gripped the rail. "Sir… I…"
He cut her off. "Don't you dare apologize, Angel? What you did this morning was all in the line of duty."
"I beat him relentless," she stated, turning towards him. "I couldn't stop myself."
"Sera you subdued a prisoner. Hell if I'd gotten to him I would have beat him senseless too," Jeff remarked dryly. "Besides I've already wrote it up that way, it's better then reporting that I lost Pensacola's new NLSO Captain and my XO to a lunatic."
She knew that. "Yes sir."
"Good," he dismissed. "Sera, you've had a hell'va a year. You've got leave on the books; I want you to take it. Marry Harm and have a honeymoon. Forget about the Arch Angels and everything else for a while and relax. That's an order."
Smiling a little she nodded. "Yes sir."
"And do something else for me?" He asked and saw he had her attention. "Talk to the shrink about what happened during Operation Desert Hawk. You're the only one who hasn't; even Hammer spoke to the doc. If you don't."
"I know," she looked over the flight deck. "It isn't that easy, sir."
"Angel. Sera. What you guys did was nothing short of a miracle. Hell even I was impressed, but you've got to let it go," he saw her going to protest. "And don't tell me you have, because you haven't. If you had, then what happened in that hanger wouldn't have happened. To talk the doc and get it over with – please?"
She nodded. "All right, as soon as we get back."
He patted her shoulder. "Thank you. Now we have a meeting with Captain Ingles. So lets not keep him waiting."
"Aye sir." She followed the Captain to the Skippers day cabin. Knocking they went in.
"Sit down," Ingles insisted, waiting until they'd done so. "Commander where did you lean to shot like that?"
"I was taught by Gunnery Sergeant Crocket sir, a Marine sniper," Sera revealed. "He said I had natural talent."
"That I can believe," Ingles commented sitting back in his chair. "I take it you'll be remaining on board with Captain Rabb?"
"I haven't discussed it with Captain Church sir."
"Well Doctor Saunders will be releasing the Captain tomorrow morning. However he won't be cleared to fly," the Skipper looked to Church. "Do you need a pilot to ferry Rabb's F-14 back to Pensacola?"
"No sir, my RIO is also a qualified pilot, he'll ferry Rabb's F-14 home. Hammer will fly back seat for the Commander and Lt. Smith can fly back seat for me," Jeff informed.
"Very well. Before I forget NCIS is on its way, they want to interview all involved," Ingles added. "They'll arrive on the cod in the next hour."
"Thanks for the heads up, Skipper." Jeff appreciated.
"My pleasure. Quarters have been arranged, see Ensign Thomas, he's waiting for you. Get some rest and I'll let you know when NCIS get here."
"Aye sir," the both stood, coming to attention before leaving.
Ensign Thomas showed them to visiting officer's quarters. Sera found she was bunked with Lt. Commander Elisabeth Hawks – Beth or Skates.
"I stopped by your place and grabbed you and Harm a few things." Beth revealed, acknowledging the bag on the bottom bunk.
"Thanks," Sera sat on the bunk, resting her head in her hands.
Sliding off the top bunk, Beth joined her. "Are you all right?"
She looked up. "Yeah. I'm just… I don't know. Tired, worn out, exhausted, mentally and physically."
Beth smiled warmly and put her arm around her. "Sound to me like Hammer needs to marry his Angel and take his bride on a long honeymoon."
"Somewhere warm and sunny," the younger woman mussed.
"Hawaii?"
"I could handle that," Sera said wishfully and they both chuckled.
Beth had always played mother hen when it came to Sera, especially after she'd found out the younger woman not only knew Harm but also was in love with him and they'd had a son together. "Have you eaten?"
"No. Didn't get the chance."
"Then go take a shower and I'll get you a sandwich from the mess," she offered.
"Thanks Beth."
"No problem," she stood, moving towards the hatch. She stopped before stepping out, turning. "Sera?"
"Yeah?"
"You did the right thing," she informed before leaving.
Sera grabbed what she needed and took a quick shower; Beth was waiting when she got back. Dressing quickly, she down to eat her sandwich.
"I had a chat to Mac on the phone the other day," Beth informed. "She wanted to know if I knew anything about Harm's tattoo."
Sera chuckled. "What did you tell her?"
"I said I did, and that it was cute."
She laughed harder. "What did she say?"
"She asked what it was and I told her that was classified," Beth smirked and laughed with her.
Sera would have loved to have been a fly on the wall and seen the Marine Colonel's face. "You told a Judge it was classified?"
"Yep."
"Oh I would have loved to have seen her face."
"It would have been classic," Beth agreed. "Much like when we told Jen she was getting one."
"Well it is tradition, we all have one."
"Very true."
Putting the plate down, Sera stretched out on the bunk. "NCIS is going to interview everyone involved. Give me a shake when I'm summoned."
"You've got it."
Pulling the curtain across, Sera rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. When she go up this morning, the last thing she thought she'd have to contend with was a fake terrorist attack, being held hostage or shooting a man dead. No this morning she though she'd only have to contend with a training exercise that would give her a change to nail Hammer's six, which she'd managed to do before the rest of the day had gone to hell.
Under an hour later she was shaken awake. "They're here, Angel," Beth informed. "In the officers wardroom."
"Thanks Skates," she got up, pulled her boots on and her cover and headed out. Going straight to the wardroom, she went in seeing who was there. "Gibbs, who did you tick off to get this assignment?"
"Funny, Angel. When the secNav's golden boy is shot, they only send the best." Gibbs remarked.
She sat down when he gestured for her to do so, removing her cover. "That's the second time Harm's been referred to as that."
"Well he's going to have to deal with people thinking it."
She shrugged. "They can think what they like, but the work Harm is doing is important."
"I'm impressed," Tony Dinozzo smirked.
Sera rolled her eyes at the younger agent. "A lot of things impress you, Tony."
Agent Kate Todd held back from laughing. "Perhaps we should get on with the interview," she suggested.
"What do you want to know, Agent Todd?"
"Start at the beginning." Gibbs ordered. "And don't leave anything out."
Ignoring the temptation to give Gibbs everything, Sera filled him in from when she'd been ordered not to land and circle the base, to ending with shooting Palmer. "Anything else you'd like to know?"
"We're having the drug Palmer shot Rabb up with analysis," Gibbs informed. "It's starting to look like this had been Palmers plan from the beginning."
"Well he can't hurt Harm any more." Sera vowed bluntly.
"You said you only fired once," Kate noted, reading the report.
"That's
right, one shot, one kill," the aviator said grabbing her cover, her eyes on
Gibbs. "Is that all?"
Gibbs held her gaze, neither blinked, neither caved. "That's all."
Kate waited until the aviator had left before saying anything more. "One shot, one kill?"
"Commander Mitchell was taught by Gunnery Sergeant Ray Crocket, Kate; a Marine sniper," he answered her question. "All the Arch Angels are multi talented."
"Her service record reads like a spy novel. What you can read of it."
"She was top of her class at Top Gun," Tony informed with a grin. "And the Arch Angels flew against the Air Force at a special Red Flag. She also gave the President of the United States a joyride in a Tomcat."
"You're starting to sound envious, Tony," she teased.
Gibbs stopped the bantering before it got out of hand. "She, Rabb, Hawks, Smith, Harrison and Powell also flew Operation Desert Hawk. They're the best, it's what they've been trained for." He got to his feet. "Lets go and see the Doc Saunders I want to talk to Rabb."
Tony and Kate just sat there for a moment; Operation Desert Hawk had been highly classified. Stumbling to their feet they hurried after him.
Having NCIS in his sickbay, or anywhere else on the ship didn't impress Dr Saunders. "As you can see, Agent Gibbs, Captain Rabb is sleeping," he said, showing them to the Captain's room. "You'll have to come back later."
"How later, doctor."
"Possible tomorrow morning, then you'll have to be here early. I'm releasing him at oh five forty and he flies out at oh six hundred."
"We'll be here at oh five, thirty," the NCIA agent informed. "Doctor."
Both Kate and Tony groaned inward at the thought of having to get up so early. This was supposed to have been an easy investigation. A head of them Gibbs smiled to himself, torturing these two was just too much fun he decided. What Rabb would have to say would be similar to what Mitchell had told them, all the reports would be similar. What was blatantly obvious was Clark Palmer was finally out of Harmon Rabb's life once and for all. One shot, one kill.
To be continued… (As usual all mistakes are mine, my beta has given up on me with this one. So I take full responsibility)