Woooh... Okay, I promised Part 11 today and it's technically thursday. Thanks for all of the support with this nutty story. After chewing on it a bit, I will do a third which will bring back an enemy of Harm's and majorly tie up a lose end. I was going to do it as a stand alone, but, I wrote a part today that works along with these three. So much for me repeating that I'd never to a series again. shakes head

Jackie

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny, kristie, mjag. Aserene, Dessler and anyone else I missed for the Feedback

PART 11 – Payback's a Bitch pt 2.

2223 Zulu
North East Of Corner Brook
Newfoundland, Canada

"Lay down, Sarah." Chris commanded, once he found an area that seemed suitable. From his vantage point, he could still see Harm. Not that it mattered, since the Commander seemed to be pretty passed out. He leaned the AK against a nearby tree. After Mac did as told, he tried smiling charmingly at her, all the while working on unbuttoning his jacket. "Now you aren't going to do anything stupid are you? If you do, after I am done here, I'll finish him off."

Mac cringed, "I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt him."

"Good." As Chris finished removing his jacket, Mac tried to keep an eye on Harm. He wasn't at the spot she had left him, which meant he was coming for her. Chris would never know what hit him.

She wrapped her legs around him, drawing him close forcefully to keep his attention on nothing but her. "Just get this over with."

Chris liked it, he liked it a little too much. "Feisty, I like that." He moved down to kiss Mac, but in that instant, something cracked behind him and the warrior was awakened. Turning around in a quick movement, he managed to roll away when Harm swung a large, heavy piece of bark at him. Mustering a force, Harm raised it over his head and brought the bark down on the ground, but Chris spun away and came up to his feet. "Rabb, you don't play nice."

"I usually do, but not when it comes to slime like you, Major." Harm went to swing again, the bark hitting Chris on his forearm, but the Major seemed to barely notice. "What the?"

Angling his wrist to capture the piece of wood in his hand, Chris spun around quickly kicking Harm solidly in the chest. "Tst, tsk, tsk. . . Sailors can't play with Marine's, Commander. . .You'll never win."

By this time, Mac was on her feet, moving to reach the AK without Chris noticing, but she was too late. A knife flew through the air, nearly cutting through her hand, imbedding itself in the tree as she reached for the rifle. She turned to see Chris' satisfied smirk being wiped away as Harm tackled him. The two meant wrestled on the ground, each trying for control, but it was clearly Chris the stronger of the two, though it would have been different if Harm had been perfectly healthy. Grabbing the AK, Mac made to fire a few rounds in the air, hoping to pull the men apart. But, when she pulled the trigger, nothing happened. As swiftly as possible, she cocked the gun, only to find the mechanism jammed. "C'mon, you bastard!" She tried several solutions, but the AK was vehement in not working for her. "Damnit!" Turning, she found Chris atop of Harm, strangling him. "NO!" Grabbing the AK, she ran at Chris, hitting him on his back with the butt of the rifle. The Major fell off of Harm, who lay in the ground coughing, trying to get his breathing under control.

Chris was down for all of two seconds before he came to his knees, growling at her. "You'll pay for that, MacKenzie." He made to launch himself at Mac, but she moved just in time, using her leg to trip him up.

"You wanted to spar with me, Steele, well you got what you wished for. . .But, it may not be a good idea to play with me." She came into a fighters stance and taunted him to try again. When he did, she flipped him over, brining him onto his back. "What? The Big Bad Marine asshole can't defeat a woman?"

Chris made to sweep her legs, but Mac jumped at the right moment, then took a few steps away from him. "You're good, MacKenzie, I'll give you that. . .But, I'm better." He stood and launched himself at Mac, stopping abruptly to destroy her timing, only to tackle her down to the ground.

Harm, after managing to start breathing again, looked up to find Chris pinning Mac down, he made to rush to her aid, when he heard an un-human-like groan come from her. "No." He ran over to the two, grabbing Chris by the back of his jacket. Harm pulled him off of Mac and saw the blood between the two. "No!. . . Mac?" There was blood on her hands, her shirt, and the look in her eyes ran a chill up and down his spine. "Mac?"

"Don't mess with a female Marine." Mac said, slowly coming up to stand next to her partner.

Chris lay on the ground attempting to remove the large knife which was sticking through the palm of his hand. "You. . .won't. . .make. . .it. . .out. . .alive." He said, as he removed the knife holding it tightly with his other hand. He didn't scream, it was almost as if he didn't feel pain as he rose himself up.

Harm stood in front of Mac, using his body to block her away from the Major. "Stay back, Sarah." He knew she'd eventually give him an earful for his heroics, but he didn't care.

"It's just. . .a flesh wound." There was this wild, angry look in Chris' eyes that made him look like something out of the Terminator movie. It was surreal how he stood and now moved cautiously towards the two. "I've been stabbed before. . .shot. . . tortured, you name it." The blood dripped from his injured hand, but his uninjured one held the knife at an attack angle. "They need you Commander. I have orders to bring you in. . .but you Colonel, you're expendable." He launched himself at the two of them, aiming to wound Harm in order to get to Mac.

But, she never gave him the chance. Instead, Mac took Harm out of the equation. It all happened almost as if in slow motion. She tripped Harm up, then pushed him away from her, sending him to the ground. When Mac looked up, Chris was just two feet away. Turning she was able to lock his wrist under her arm, then with her other, she elbowed him, but Chris still wouldn't release his hold on the knife. From his angle, he yanked his hand up, trying to slice at Mac's face, but in the way she'd moved, he ended up nicking his own cheek.

Mac brought her boot down on his foot as hard as possible, then put her hip into his stomach, bending with a hard force that sent Chris over her head and onto the ground. In the momentum, she managed to take the knife from him, an act that she was sure she'd never be able to duplicate. Steele flipped onto his feet squatting low, attempting to tackle Mac's legs. With a blood curling yell, she lunged at him, knife in hand. Being dazed from his head hitting the ground just a few seconds earlier, he didn't have the equilibrium to move swiftly, this was the advantage Mac needed.

The knife cut through his skin just to the side of his sternum. For good measure, Mac turned the blade slightly then pulled it out, a tactical move taught to her by Uncle Matt. Steele glanced up at her with a sick expression in his eyes. For a moment both Harm and Mac thought he'd attack again, that the monster would not die, but they finally got reprieve. By the light of the moon, Mac saw the blood pooling from his body. Major Christopher Steele was dead. Unceremoniously, she tossed the knife to the ground, imbedding it just a foot away from the Major.

Mac rose her hand up to see the dark blood dripping from her fingers. Death wasn't supposed to be part of a JAG officer's life, yet, every step she took, it was always there. As Harm's arms wrapped around her, she sank into him, thankful they were both still alive, disgusted that someone else had died by her hand. "I'm sorry." He said in a gentle voice as he held her. "I'm sorry you had to go through any of this."

She stared back a Chris and a sense of anger bubbled through her veins. What he was planning to do to her was unforgivable. "Bastard had it coming. . .I know he did." Mac looked into Harm's eyes, reassuring him that she would be okay. "We have to finish this, Harm. . . Finish it and get the hell home."

Moving her out of his embrace, Harm walked to their packs and reached for both his and her canteen. "Give me your hands Mac." He used some of the water to wash her hands of the Major's blood.

Mac watched as his hands tenderly washed her own, removing the remnants of the horror she had to endure. He then reached to un-tuck his undershirt, using the bottom of it to dry her hands. Looking into his eyes she found a guilt that matched her own, he was blaming himself for her being here and there was nothing she could do to change that. Moving away, she reached into the packs, handing over the medication that Harm needed to take. "Take them, I'm sorry I didn't realize you hadn't taken them back at the cabin."

Without argument, he did as told, then slipped the bottle into his pocket. The silence was cut through when the sound of some sort of beeping noise caught them off guard. Harm followed the sound, tracing it over to Chris' body. From his belt, Harm pulled out a walkie-talkie. The sound was down low, but he could hear a voice, a man's voice over the line. Raising the volume up, the voice was clearer. "Christopher? Major. . .answer me!"

Mac glanced at Harm and shook her head. Pressing the button, he spoke. "Major Steele is dead. . .but you can speak to me."

(The voice on the other side wasn't familiar to either of them, but Harm would bet his bank account that it was someone in the CIA. "Commander Rabb, I suspect?")

"Yes. . .And you are?"

("You don't know me and you don't need to know me. I suspect that Colonel MacKenzie is with you as well?)

Mac went to speak, but Harm waved her off. "Colonel MacKenzie is the reason the Major is dead, he attacked her. . ." Trailing off, he left it as ambiguous as possible, which was confusing her, what was he trying to do?

("Well, I did tell him that the Colonel was expendable. . .We know you where you are heading and you won't be able to get away with whatever you are trying Commander.")

"Well, I'm still going to try." Harm took the walkie-talkie and smacked it into the first rock he found.

When Mac went to ask him why he suggested that she were dead, a sound brought them back to the present. "That sounds like a car." She grabbed her pack and slipped it on, then went through Chris' pack in order to retrieve hers and Harm's guns.

Harm took his own pack and headed up the hill in the direction of the noise. From the top, they both squatted down and he pulled out the binoculars. "Those are Temir's men. . . We must be close. . . They stole another piece of a convoy."

"Convoy?" Mac squinted, but she really couldn't make out what Harm was trying to explain to her.

"I overheard them talking once. . .They've been stealing things off of convoys for the Canadian Army. . .Ammunition, guns.. . .God knows what else."

"God knows what they have planned. . .Maybe they want to arm the planes?"

That brought the light bulb up over Harm's head. "When we started training for the Aurora the plan was to, eventually, mount it with some sort of nuke that the DOD was working on. . .Since the planes fly so high up, you wouldn't be able to target where the attack came from." He handed the binoculars over to Mac who glanced down into the area, cringing slightly at how Temir's men stacked two dead bodies, those belonging to members of the Canadian Army, into the truck. "I guess they are going to get rid of evidence."

Harm took the binoculars from her, and did a once over on the dirt roads and the terrain. There was a tree in an odd shape next to this massive rock, it was almost like 'x' marking the spot. "I remember driving past this on the Jeep. . .We're close." He said excitedly. "Maybe a day away." Quietly, they waited for Temir's men to drive away to get a better idea of the heading they should be taking. With whatever was left of the map, Harm deduced they should head straight north.

Though this was, somewhat, good news, Mac saw the sheen of sweat on Harm's face and the slight trembling of his hands. He needed to rest, for that matter, she did too. "We'll head off once we get some shut eye."

"Are you crazy?" He said roughly, glaring at Mac as if she'd grown two heads. "We can't just sit here."

But, she wasn't going to let him push himself to the breaking point. "Yes, we can. . .You need to rest Harm. You barely made it this far and don't give me any bullshit that you were faking it to get the drop on Steele."

His mouth open and closed a few times, yes, he'd faked the gravity of how bad he was feeling, but she had a point. His body was already protesting. "Fine. . .but just a few hours."

Mac smiled then pointed down and to her left. "I hear water coming from there, might be a good place to set up camp and get cleaned up."

"Lead on."

2310 Zulu
SECNAV Sheffield's Office
Pentagon
Washington, DC

Sheffield was seething, if he had his way, he would have the three before him tarred, feathered and then hanged. Just like his predecessor, he wanted things done by the book and without sticking his six into certain aspects of the Navy's arena. What sent him over the edge the most was that things, despite the change of command in JAG ops, still ran like a circus over at Falls Church. So much for choosing a Marine with his rules, regs and decorum. "When I appointed you into the position of Judge Advocate General, I expected things to stop being run like an asylum." He stood before the Marine General, ignoring the mans two other cohorts who he'd attack in a moment. "I expected things to be run smoothly, but since Christmas, things have become like a circus!"

He paced behind the three men who were standing at attention, longing to be able to beat some sense into their skulls, but Sheffield doubted it would do much. "First, I find that one of your senior officers has been going through some sort of counseling for over a year now. Non of which was reported, I might add. . . Second, Commander Rabb goes missing and is claimed to be a traitor. Then, I find that Colonel MacKenzie can't seem to follow orders and decided to snoop into CIA business. . .Now, I have you three clowns to answer for." He slammed his hand against the desk, but non of the three flinched, that irritated the SECNAV even more. "Do you know that the Deputy Director of the CIA has phoned me with the disturbing news that two of my JAGs along with their commanding officer, has been making threats against him and the Agency?"

Creswell grinned slightly, so Levine was going to try the political approach first. Good, that gave them more time to plan things. "Mr. Secretary, I'll have you know that the Deputy Director of the CIA has been involved in treasonous affairs. And, as a result, has made Commander Rabb his scapegoat."

But, SECNAV wasn't in the mood to hear about that, as far as he was concerned, the traitors were standing in his wake. "Where is Colonel MacKenzie?"

"If you spoke to Mr. Levine, I am sure you know where she is and who she is with."

Sheffield nodded. "If she comes back, I want the Colonel written up on UA charges, disobeying a direct order and treason."

Creswell shook his head. "No, sir. . .She did not disobey an order, I allowed her to join the Commander and she has time on the books, a UA charge won't stick."

"I believe I ordered you to leave everything having to do with Rabb alone. . .I ordered you, General, to pass that information onto your staff and that includes Colonel MacKenzie. As far as I am concerned, she disobeyed my direct order and what I say goes."

"Sir, you are being used because of the power you have over my office. . .And when all of this comes to its resolution, I want an apology to Commander Rabb, Colonel MacKenzie and the members of my staff. . . and I want them in writing."

Sheffield came up as close to Creswell as he dared. "How dare you threaten me, Creswell? I'll have your ass sitting in the brig faster than you scan say 'Semper Fi.'"

"With all due respect, no you won't sir." Bud took this chance to speak up for the General, something that cause the other three men to glare at the young Lt. Commander. He fished through his briefcase and pulled out a file which he tossed on Sheffield's desk. "I think you'll find those illuminating."

During the day, Bud managed to contact Millie Shaker, a 'friend' who formerly worked in the Naval Records office and somehow wound up working for the CIA. Millie always had a thing for Bud, something that he didn't dwell on since he was happily married, but it did give the Lt. Commander a bit of an ego boost. Shaker had long since become proficient in computers and technology, Bud put that knowledge to good use. The information stated that it was Raymond Levine who had Rabb's flight plan changed to have him land at Groom Lake. Where that wasn't detrimental, there was also a snafu, something that occurred too early, or at least, earlier than reported – another memo sent through the ranks that Rabb was to be considered a traitor for the theft of the Aurora planes. That memo was sent out at least fifty minutes before Andy and Harm took to the air.

Sheffield read through the information and slid into his chair when he came upon the final paper in the file. "I don't get what you are trying to do?"

"The times, sir, check the times." Sturgis said with urgency. He separated the two papers, one with flight plans and the other with the memo. "The flight of the two planes went out without a hitch, there wasn't a problem until the CIA believed they went punched out. At least, that is the story we had and the story they fed every other agency. . . Then, sometime later, when the Colonel starting snooping around, Clayton Webb gave her a conflicting report, that the Commander was alive and engaging in treasonous affairs." Taking a pen from his breast pocket, Sturgis circled a few of the numbers on the pages. "If Commander Rabb and Mr. Watson took off from Groom Lake at 1520. . .and the memo was sent at 1430, we can deduce that they were lying."

"That's a fifty minute difference." Now Sheffield was getting it, he took a look at the sheets before him then stared blankly at the General. "Given the time it took them to prepare, the briefing of the mission. . ." He said, calculating things in his mind. "When did the CIA say that he punched out?"

Sturgis looked at the paper and circled the numbers. "About an hour and a half into the flight."

Taking off his glasses, Sheffield scrubbed his face, he'd been duped. "You do realize it'll be your word against theirs? They'll deny this information existed and probably go after the three of you for taking it in the first place."

"We're prepared to take any responsibility, what we need Mr. Secretary is time for Rabb and MacKenzie to come back home. I suspect they'll find more than enough evidence to link Levine with the disappearance of the Aurora's."

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

Creswell smiled. "For now, just prepare to make a statement that will clear both the Commander and the Colonel. Also, be ready to take Levine down. . . You know that your political contacts will help, hell, most of them want to destroy the CIA and build it back up. Here's their chance, and you can lead the way."

Sheffield thought it over for a bit. It would be nice to reconfigure the agency to standards that actually worked. It would be even better if all government security branches would work together rather than apart, this would be the way to start. "It is temping, General, very tempting. . . But, Mr. Levine must believe that you are no longer interested in his affairs. Or, rather, that I ordered you to stop meddling."

"Done." The General extended his hand to Sheffield who shook it. Bud, Sturgis and Creswell made to leave the office, when the General stopped and turned. "By the way, you know I've never been interested in the political side of being the JAG. . .If, in any way, shape or form you screw with me or my people, I will use anything I have to come after you, Mr. Secretary."

With that, the three headed out of the Pentagon, leaving Secretary Sheffield with his mouth agape.

Harmfan – Yea, I like the Harm and Mac of this story, it's like the Harm and Mac of old with a twist. :) So do you like how Chris was handled?

Carby – I am a cliffhanger fan, don't know why. Maybe I need therapy? Probably LOL!

Nk – LOL! Temir the Terrorist LOL! Love that. Yep, I've been waiting and waiting and waiting to let people know just HOW Levine was involved and it worked well in that brief section because, you know as much junk as I've stuffed in the story, I would have forgotten LOL!

Froggy – Stop biting them nails and sit back! ;P Jeez! Clones will arrive soon. They are attaching certain ummm parts. ;)

Manday – Best idea I've ever heard ever! A two hour episode of JAG! With all harm and all Mac preferably together all day long in bed…. Sorry, that wasn't the idea was it? But could we take that instead of my story? ;) I created Chris before VicPuke came up on JAG but if it works with you to put Chris and VicPuke together, sure go for it:D

Jtbwriter – Hmmm no reading before bedtime! It's bad! BAD I TELL YOU! Mousturner? You know what I read? Moisturizer. Jeeezus I need help LOL!

So we all at peace now that Christopher is kaput? ;)