A/N: Okay this chapter is where I was headed when I started the last chapter. I do kind of redeem Spooky but don't get the idea that I'm sorry he's gone. I just can't see Clay crossing that line on purpose, as a planned part of an operation.

A/N2: I doubt there really is a military hospital in Baghdad but can we pretend. This is my first try at really writing an investigation in a story so cut me some slack, okay? Thanks!

Baghdad Hilton, Mac's Room
1737 Hours
8/29/2004

"We'll be home as soon as we can, AJ. Can I talk to Mattie now please?" I can hear Mattie's voice in the background as AJ gives her the phone.

"Yeah, Mac?"

"How are things really going?" I ask.

"We're fine, Mac. I think Trish is enjoying playing mom and Tom's been helping out too." Mattie tells me.

"I'm sure you're also helping a lot, Mattie. I need to talk to Trish for a couple of minutes."

"Okay." I hear the phone being handed off yet again.

"Hello, Sarah."

"Hi, Trish. I just wanted to tell you that we're hoping to be able to head back by the end of the week." Which is true but I doubt it's going to happen. This has turned into the investigation that never ends.

"That's fine. I need to go back to La Jolla for a couple of days to take care of some business."

"When do you need to leave?" Oh no! We're going to have to come up with other plans for the boys.

"Relax, Mac. I need to leave Thursday. If you and Harm aren't back yet I'll just take everybody with me." Trish informs me.

"We can't ask you to do that!"

"You're not asking. I'm offering. You and Harm can't be here but I can. I can also afford to take everyone with me. We'll be fine. Don't worry about us, just do your jobs so you can come home."

"Will do. Thanks Trish."

"You're welcome. I'll let you get going it's got to be dinner time there."

"Yeah it is. Give the kids a hug for me, okay?"

"As long as you give my son a hug for me."

"I can do that." I laugh softly before hanging up the phone.

Harm and I are still stuck in Baghdad trying to iron things out. The CIA is denying that they ever had people at Yel-la. We were able to find the prisoners and have spent the past week interviewing them. Six of the guards are being transferred to command headquarters here to prepare of Article 32 hearings. Right now Harm and I are listed as the prosecutors but that should change. If it doesn't change I hope the trials are transferred back to headquarters. Not like there's anything I can do about it. I should probably get ready to go meet Harm for dinner.

Army Command Headquarters
0915 hours
08/30/2004

Harm holds the door to the conference room for me to step through. One hour ago, we received a phone call from a Major Collins. Major Collins is representing Staff Sergeant Simpson, who claims to have information for our investigation and wants to deal.

"At ease, sit down." I tell Collins and Simpson as soon as we're in the room.

"What do you have for us?" Harm asks.

"What are you willing to offer?" Collins responds.

"Depends on how good the information is." I tell him.

"I'm not giving you two anything until I have something in writing." Simpson informs us.

"That's fine. We've got more than enough to send you and your friends to the stockade for at least 20 years. We don't need you and your information. You on the other hand, need all the help you can get. "If you're smart you'll tell us what you know, and hope it's enough to inspire us to offer a plea." Harm coldly informs him.

The sergeant and major confer for two minutes and sixteen seconds before the major opens his briefcase and hands us a computer disk.

"What's this?" Harm asks.

"Pictures from Yel-la. Take a look at them I think you'll find them extremely useful. I have more where those came from" Simpson answers.

"Okay. You two stay here. Colonel Mackenzie and I are going to go look at these, we'll be back in no more than an hour."

With that Harm and I leave the room stopping only to issue instructions to the guard on duty. before heading to a conference room to view the disk and make some decisions.

Army Command Headquarters
1100 hours
08/30/2004

"You said you'd be back in an hour." Simpson says the minute the door is opened.

"Sorry about that but I don't think you'll mind once you hear the deal we have for you." I should chew him out for the lapse in protocol but frankly I've got more important things to deal with.

"Ma'am?" Collins questioned as he waited for our offer.

"Okay here's the deal. We get all the pictures. Simpson pleads guilty to one count of cruelty and maltreatment. Sentence will be one year confinement, loss of all pay and allowance, and an other than honorable discharge."

"Done." Collins informs us after conferring with his client. He then reaches into his briefcase and hands us a box full of disks.

"Thank you. We'll be in touch." With that Harm and I take the disks and head back to the conference room so we can go over our new information and then fill the Admiral in. He was pretty ticked we woke him up until we told him what we had. We got orders to make the deal, look over the rest of the pictures, then report back to him at 1700 local time.

Conference Room
1536 hours
08/30/2004

These pictures are really disgusting. They show American soldiers sinking to lows I didn't think possible. Many of the pictures also show Clayton Webb and some others that I can only assume work for the company. Fortunately I only have to look at half the pictures. Harm thought we should split them and then save our halves to our hard drives

"You, okay?" Harm asks me.

"Fine. Why do you ask?"

"I heard you sigh, Mac. Want to try again?"

"You know this is going to ruin Clay. The company will hang him out to dry." I can't help but think if he hadn't been tortured last year he'd have never crossed the line.

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Maybe? Are you nuts?" I yelp incredulously.

"Nope, I'm perfectly sane. Let me show you what I just found." Harm turns his laptop around so I can see the file he just opened.

"Ebat-kopat! Is that who I think it is?" I'm stunned.

"Yep." Is all Harm says.

"Too bad there aren't any Iraqis in the picture."

"That's why I'm not sure if they'll be able to hang Webb out to dry. There aren't any prisoners in the picture so Kershaw could argue he never saw Webb's treatment of the prisoners insisting Webb acted on his own authority." Harm says.

"But it's clearly Yel-la, and Kershaw is the boss so he should have known and even if he didn't..." My voice trails off.

"Kershaw still might end up being the sacrificial lamb." Harm finishes.

"Good, I'm glad." I know I don't sound it but I am glad someone besides Clay might go done for this. I don't think Clay could handle having to leave in total disgrace.

"Mac?"

"I'm fine, Harm. I can't help but think that if Paraguay hadn't happened Clay never would have done these things." I tell him sadly.

"You might be right."

"Well we better get back to work we've got to report to the admiral in an hour."

"One hour, twelve minutes and seven seconds." I tell Harm, who just laughs.

Baghdad Hilton
1842 Hours
08/30/2004

"Meet you for dinner in twenty?" Harm asks as we step off the elevator.

"Can we get some room service and just eat in the room?" I'm not in the mood to be around people tonight.

"Sure. I'll just..." Harm's voice trails off as his cell phone starts ringing.

"Rabb."

"Yes, sir. I'll be right there." Harm hangs up the phone.

"Sorry, Mac. I've gotta run. I should be back shortly. A courier is supposed to meet me at headquarters to take custody of the disks."

"Do you need me to come too?"

"Nah, go ahead and get changed then order dinner. I shouldn't be more than twenty minutes."

"Okay." I unlock my door and head for the bathroom.

Fourteen minutes and seventeen seconds later I'm showered and in a t-shirt and lounge pants when it happens.

BOOM

That sounded awfully close. I grab my room key and my cell phone before heading downstairs to find out what's going on.

Once off the elevator I can tell immediately what's going on. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside the hotel. While moving closer to see if I can help I hit the button to speed dial Harm and warn him of what's going on here.

I'm about five feet from where the bomb went off when Harm's cell phone starts ringing. It takes me all of fifty-seven seconds to realize I can hear the Star Trek theme Mattie programmed into Harm's phone.

I stop and listen to the ring trying to figure out where it's coming from. There, over there by that car. I hurry over and there's Harm. He's unconscious and bleeding. I drop to my knees screaming for help and trying to find the source of the blood at the same time.

Within minutes help has arrived and Harm is being put in a vehicle to be taken to a hospital. I find out where he's headed and prepare to follow, praying the entire time that he's going to be okay.

Military Hospital Somewhere in Baghdad
1920 hours
08/30/2004

I finally make it to the emergency room and weave my way towards the information desk.

"Excuse me, I need some information about Commander Rabb." I say to the Specialist working the desk.

"This is an army hospital." She says without looking up.

Now I'm mad. "You want to try that again, Specialist?" I yell in my best drill sergeant voice.

Now the kid looks up. "Ma'am?" Good, he looks scared.

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie. My partner Commander Harmon Rabb was brought in after being injured by a suicide bomber. Now I'm supposed to report to my boss, a two-star, who is then supposed to report to his boss on the Commander's condition. My question for you is am I going to have the information I need?"

"Ma'am, yes ma'am. Let me find out for you ma'am." She starts punching keys on her computer and one minute and twelve seconds later she has the information I need.

"He was taken to surgery on the third floor." She points me in the direction of the elevator.

"Thank you." I tell her before heading to the third floor.

Once the elevators open is see another desk and step up there.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for information on Commander Rabb."

"The doctor should be with you in just a moment." This answer is from a lieutenant.

It's actually twelve minutes before the doctor, a Captain Evans, finds me pacing the hall.

"Colonel Mackenzie?"

"Yes, How's he doing?"

"He's going to be hurting for awhile but he'll be fine." The Captain is smiling.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. He has a mild concussion, a broken wrist, and he had a gash in his side that required twenty-seven stitches. Surprisingly, there wasn't any serious damage considering the amount of shrap metal we removed. He was quite fortunate really, most of the blood wasn't his."

I know that should make me feel better and it does, but at the same time the thought of all that blood being from different people makes me want to vomit.

"Can I see him?"

"Certainly, just let us get him set up in a regular room. Someone will come and get you in about twenty minutes?"

"That's fine, is there a phone somewhere I can use to call the states? I need to report in to my CO." I also need to call Trish.

"Certainly, you can use the doctor's lounge. Right this way."

The Captain shows me to the lounge and then backs away, giving me the privacy I need. Taking a deep breath I pick up the phone and dial headquarters.

tbc