A/N: Alright, this is the Season Three Season Finale. We need a little time so that we can work ahead of what we're posting. For this chapter and parts of next season, you're going to need knowledge of who "Bax" is. We suggest you read or re-read the first chapter of our story "Reunions"
"Would you calm down!" Peach lightly played with his tie. "The President not only gave you the lead on this summit, he let you hold it at Camp David, he obviously trusts you so stop being so damn fussy."
"Are you okay? I mean I know that entertaining the wives of foreign ministers isn't something that you would normally be satisfied with doing." Nate put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from continuing to straighten his tie.
"Are you kidding, this would have been a high profile detail for any of us when we were pushing papers at the Truman building, you and I work better when were work together, no matter what our jobs are." She lightly kissed him on the cheek.
"Mr. Secretary, the first Helo is touching down, sir. The Israelis are here." The Chief of Staff popped his head in the door. Peach dusted off the front of Nate's jacket and the two of them headed for the door. They walked through the compound and out the front door to where the Helo had landed on the lawn.
Nate and Peach met up with Harm and Mike out on the lawn. "The Israelis are her, care to explain to me why they're compromising a summit that would otherwise look like a meeting of key NATO allies?" Harm asked as he stood next to Nate.
"Simple, no one has fought as long and hard against Islamic terrorism as long as the Israelis have. With them and a few other organizations who are willing to help us, we've got a network here that would make Osama Bin Laden shit his pants." Nate answered as he watched the door to the Helo open and the Israeli delegation step out. Nate recognized the face leading the delegation. "Why did I have a feeling you would be here?"
"Because you are a most wise young man." Moshe replied. "And because Prime Minister Sharon wanted someone who could understand your psychology. His exact words to me were, 'he thinks too much like an Israeli for an American'."
"Too much like an Israeli?" Nate joked as he an Moshe hugged.
"May I introduce Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Marin." Moshe moved aside to introduce the two senior diplomats.
"Very nice to meet you, Minister Marin." Nate reached out and shook the Israeli's hand. "Allow me to introduce my fellow delegates, Captain Harmon Rabb Jr. United States Navy and Mike Bradley. Also allow me to introduce my girlfriend Nicole DiPiccio."
"You seem to know Agent Goldstein, allow me to introduce my wife." Marin shook the hands of Harm and Mike as they all moved toward the doors to the compound. Nat's Chief of Staff came running up to meet them.
"Sir, everything is just as you ordered." The Chief of Staff assured him.
"So, you put the French and the Germans on the same Helo?" Nate asked.
"Yes, sir." The Chief of Staff affirmed as they continued walking into the compound.
"What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall in that helicopter." Harm joked as the door closed behind them.
"They'll probably attempt to renegotiate the Versailles Treaty." Mike added.
"Which one?" Peach asked as they took their seats with the Israelis.
"Both." Harm answered and got laughs from everyone in the room. "So, the first meetings start with lunch, right?"
"Once all the delegations are here we head into the conference room where lunch will be waiting for everyone." The Chief of Staff affirmed in response to Harm's question. "With the appropriate dietary constrictions for our Jewish guests."
"Thank you, Leon." Nate nodded.
"I do hope that we will not only talk shop this week, Secretary Ross." Minister Marin's tone was almost challenging.
"Well, that remains to be seen, Minister." Nate answered.
"Amazing the way diplomats can get into silent dick measuring contests." Mike whispered to Harm.
"Completely amazing." Harm answered.
1837 ZULU
CAMP DAVID
FREDERICK COUNTY, MARYLAND
The greetings for all the diplomats had been fairly similar to the greeting extended to the Israeli delegation. Harm, Nate and company had greeted four more foreign ministers, including the heads of CSIS and MI6 as well as intelligence agents from the DGSE and BND. By the time that lunch came around, Nate and Harm were joking if they shook any more hands, they'd be elected joint congressman for the G8.
Now, the real crunch time had come. They had to bring up a way to really do something about the eighteen names that they had gotten from the coercive investigation of Ali Al-Bashram by the Israeli Mossad. "Well, gentlemen, it's nice to have you all here. I do hope that we'll get more out of this week then just a lot of talking, sore ears and a few shares of Ibuprofen stock." Harm opened the conference.
"Thank you, Captain Rabb but it was Secretary Ross as representative of President Russell who invited all of us here for the week." The French Foreign Minister piped up. Harm tried to hide the offence that he felt having been interrupted by the senior French diplomat.
"Gentleman, in the years since the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, there has been two types of war that the human species has fought. Those wars between states and those wars of revolution. Wars between states have always been decided by triumph of superior might and because those are the wars with which we are most used to fighting, that is how we seek to fight every war." Nate began to walk around the table. "We can't fight this war like that. The key to this war is going to be attrition. We have to make the price too high for them to be able to continue this war. That's why we have these eighteen names."
"What are you trying to ask of us, Mr. Ross? We all know the names of the men on this list, we all have intelligence portfolios on most of them that are a good mile long. What can we possibly do about it now that we couldn't do last week or last month?" The Director of MI6 asked.
"That's where the real nugget in all this comes out. We not only have the names but we were able to collect intelligence on their current projects and whereabouts. As such, we've divvied up the dossiers on each of the terrorists including all recent intelligence gathered on the men. The respective roles of our countries have determined that this is our time to work together to ensure that justice is swiftly visited upon these criminals. That at least, should be something that we can do together." Nate walked back over to his chair and sank down.
"So, we are expected to go along with some big American plan without even having heard it?" The Director of CSIS questioned.
"No, of course not." Mike Bradley interrupted. "The idea is that the two lists are divided into categories of those targets who will be killed and those targets who will merely be arrested for the purposes of interrogation and the further gathering of intelligence."
"Each country has been given parts of the world, each of which contains the whereabouts of three names on the list. The British delegation has been given the territory of the old Commonwealth countries, excepting Canada. The German delegation has been given Northern Europe and the Low Countries. The French delegation has been given the Iberian Peninsula and Southern Europe. The Israelis have been given their neighbouring countries of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan." Harm continued.
"American will cover the rest of the world as usual?" The German foreign minister asked.
"We'll do our best." Nate answered. "What we're here to negotiate is what each country wishes to do with the people on their list of three names and how we intend to go about bringing them in."
"From what I can see, the American list consists of Mourari, Ziyda and Fahd. Those are three of the biggest names on the Interpol list. Doesn't list seem a little unbalanced either in America's favour or against it?" Israeli Minister Marin asked.
"This group was the most widespread and outside of a single individual scope. It seemed the most reasonable thing for the Americans to assume that particular burden." Harm answered.
"This whole thing sounds like Operation Wrath of God to me." Moshe offered.
"It should, that's where we got the motivation. Wrath of God succeeded in taking out the support network for an entire terrorist organization. That's what we're trying to accomplish. After all, Wrath of God is just an Israeli take on the IRA operations from Bloody Sunday in 1920. It's a calculated attrition against the support structure of an organization." Nate leaned over the front of the table.
"Excuse me, sirs, is it at all possible that I might steal Secretary Ross for just a second." Nate's Chief of Staff appeared at the door to the main conference room. Nate raised a hand to motion to be excused before exiting the room. He closed the big oaken door behind him as he stepped out into the hallway.
"What is it, Leon?" Nate placed his hands on his hips clearly annoyed with having been interrupted.
"Sir, I just had a communiqué come in over the wire from the Pentagon. There was an attack in Kandahar at the courtroom where that friendly fire trial was taking place. Apparently, some member of the terrorist insurgency slipped passed security with a bomb attached to their body and took out most of the courtroom. There are several casualties including the lawyer for the defence." Leon bent his head with solemnity.
"Name?" Nate asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Lieutenant Commander Meg Austin, she was assigned by the NATO office to prosecute the matter. By the time that a corpsman saw her, she was gone." Leon informed him. "The legal team for the prosecution is in critical condition and they've been airlifted to the medical centre of the USS George Washington. They'll stabilize them and airlift them to Landstuhl."
"We got names for these servicemen, Leon?" Nate asked still looking like he was fighting a headache.
"Lieutenant Bud Roberts Jr. and Petty Officer Second Class Jennifer Coates, sir." Leon read the names off of the fax he had gotten from CENTCOM.
"Alright, Leon, were there any non-American casualties?" Nate began to lightly stroke his chin.
"A few Canadian witnesses for the prosecution are dead; sir and two German trial observers are in stable condition in a local field hospital." Leon exhaled heavily.
"Thank you, Leon, I'll take the news to the conference. That should be sufficient for us to break for the day." Nate took the fax and dismissed his Chief of Staff. He looked down at the paper and read the information one more time before cautiously walking back into the conference room. "I apologize for having been taken away, gentlemen. Something was just brought to my attention. It seems that at just about noon Kabul time, a suicide attack was carried out during the court-martial of the American pilot accused of having accidental bombed members of the PPCLI. American and Canadian Forces experienced fatalities in the attack and two German trial observers were wounded in the attack though I'm led to believe that their wounds are not serious."
"I believe that this is an appropriate point at which to break for the day." The Canadian Foreign Minister closed the folder in front of him.
"I agree, I invite our guests to enjoy their stay in the compound and I hope to have dinner with at least a few of you after you make contact with your respective governments." Nate put the clipboard in his hands on its side on the table and watched as the room emptied. "Mr. Bradley, Captain Rabb, I do need to talk to the two of you for a moment."
Harm and Mike exchanged a look before hanging back. "What's on your mind, Nate?" Harm asked.
"Harm, you need to hear this and being as I'm the best equipped party here to deliver the news, I'll just tell you. Harm you knew a few people involved in today's attack in Kandahar." Nate watched as the expression on Harm's face sank through the floor.
"Bud?" Harm asked in a voice only slightly above a whisper.
"Yes, Lieutenant Roberts was involved but last reports indicate that he's in critical condition on the airlift route from the site of the attack to Landstuhl with a stopover in the medical centre of the Washington to stabilize him. Harm, his legalman, a Petty Officer Coates was also wounded in the attack, do you know her?"
"Yes." Harm nodded briefly.
"I don't know the exact details yet, but if the language of the report I read is anything to go by, the Petty Officer likely saved Lieutenant Roberts fro greater harm. Her condition is only slightly worse than his and she's on route to Landstuhl as well." Nate breathed in and settled his nerves; they were just about to hit the hard part. "Harm, Meg Austin was the defence attorney, specially assigned to the case by the NATO office in London. She died in the attack."
Harm felt like he'd been shot. Sure there was nothing between Meg and him in a romantic sense but she was still and friend and a loss that he would truly feel. He nodded as he felt tears stinging his eyes. "Can I go?" He asked, sounding dejected and really wanting to get back to his room and try and settle himself. Nate gave him a pat on the shoulder and Harm quietly exited the room. When the door closed, Mike looked up at Nate.
"I'm guessing you've got a message from Washington telling you to do something about this?" Mike asked sarcastically.
"Yeah, you'd think that something like that should fall to the Secretary of Defence rather then my office." Nate replied. "I think we need to get a team together now and go after a few of the names in response to the attack. Get your boys at Langley on it; you know the names for the team we constructed?"
"I sure do. You want me to tell Reid to make sure that they're set to head off?" Mike asked.
"That would be nice, tell him that they're to be wheels-up in forty-eight hours." Nate and Mike walked toward the door. "What feelings did you get from the delegates with regard to this little plan of ours?"
"The British and the Israelis are definitely on our side. The French were dead set against it and until you came into the room with your news it seemed as thought the Germans and Canadians were set to join them." Mike and Nate headed toward the bedrooms in the main retreat building.
"How did you read the Canadians and Germans after I delivered the news?" Nate had his arms cross in front of him.
"The Germans were stoic up until you mentioned that they'd had a few men wounded in the attack. That seemed to strike a chord. The Canadian Foreign Minister seemed incredibly aggrieved, look for old Pierre to talk to you some time later on tonight to get a sense of how firm you are on the plan that you've got worked out." Mike gave Nate a pat on the back as he broke away and headed for his room to patch through his call to Langley.
Harm sat on the edge of his bed in his room. That sure was one hell of a sucker-punch to the stomach that he had taken. Bud Roberts, his close friend was on an air transport over some godforsaken stretch of desert in the Middle East on his way to try and repair whatever bodily injury he had incurred all because the security couldn't keep a crazy man out of a courtroom. The bile churned in Harm's stomach as he thought about it, about how real the possibility was that Little AJ might grow up without a father. He dropped his face in his hands.
Harm's mind shifted to the fresh face of Petty Officer Coates. True, when he had met her at Christmas, she was a girl headed down the wrong road in life but ever since then she had made such a concerted effort to turn her life around. And she had done so, even becoming Bud's legal-man on board the Seahawk. She was a good woman with a long life ahead of her yet in the blink of an eye; the same man who had severely wounded Bud had wounded her in the same stroke. What's more he did it while she was shielding Bud from further pain. The rage began to burn a long trail of fire up to Harm's throat.
Then there was the last blow; Meg. She was another close friend and unlike Bud and Coates, he knew that she, like so many in war, was headed home in a pine box. Harm wrung his hands out. Sweet, innocent Meg was never going to see that Texas ranch where she grew up ever again. She was never going to get to have that little girl that she had so badly wanted. He'd never see her give him 'Hook'em horns' again. They hadn't parted on the best of terms a few months ago but never did he think that would be the last time that their paths would cross. He got up from the bed; he wasn't going to take this lying down.
2314 ZULU
CAMP DAVID
FREDERICK COUNTY, MARYLAND
"It's a good night for a cigar." Moshe walked out on to the porch where he saw Nate standing with a cigar between two fingers on one hand and the stem of a red wine glass between two fingers on the other hand.
"It's a good night after what has been a rather shitty day." Nate answered as he watched the sun fall behind the trees.
"After all these years, I wouldn't have thought it would still hit you so hard. I told you many years ago that you couldn't let them inside because that was how they won. You've been fighting it almost as long as I have, Nathan." Moshe leaned up against the wooden railing of the porch.
"I think Harmon Rabb and I were the only to guys in the United States to have a CIA profile before we could legally drink, drive or gamble." Nate joked. "I don't know any other kid in High School who spent his summers hunting Black September and Hamas terrorists in the West Bank. Wasn't what I had in mind when I said that I wanted to spend my summer in the Holy Land."
"You were a natural with a gun. When we got ambushed, it only made sense to arm you. You took to it so naturally that it just made sense to keep taking you with me. You were the youngest agent attached to Mossad." Moshe chuckled lightly. "Do you hate me for robbing you of your teenage years in such a way?"
"No, we're all here for some reason or another. I was at a point in my life where I was just as convinced at the Mossad and the Marines that I was here to shoot people. I know better now, I didn't then and the bitch of it all is that on some level, it was a game to me." Nate took a long drag on the cigar. As he let a puff of smoke fly from his lips, Harmon Rabb came walking out to meet him.
"I want in." Harm was blunt.
"In on what?" Nate asked turning toward him.
"Whatever you've got planned and don't bullshit me, I know you're working on something right now and I want in on it. So, come hell or high-water, Nate, you're letting me in." Harm's vocal tone was set to a grizzly bear growl.
"Harm, in case you've forgotten, you underwent a craniotomy a little more then six weeks ago. That's major medical surgery. I can't let you do anything so soon after such a procedure." Nate was just as determined to prevent Harm from getting target fixated and getting himself killed.
"My doctor cleared me for a return to full active duty last Friday. There isn't a thing in the world I can't do now that I was able to do before." Harm argued smugly.
"Harm you won't like it. You don't have the psyche for it after Indonesia. Some times you just have to know when to get out of the game." Nate put a hand on his friend's shoulder but Harm brushed it off.
"Listen, you went through hell to get to Peach in Indonesia so don't give me this spy bullshit about coming in out of the cold. I want in and you know that I'll get in somehow." Harm was really pushing his challenge.
"No, what I know is that you're off the glide-path again. You don't have the ball, Rabb, don't you get it? I'm waving you off." Nate gritted his teeth.
"I'll go to Reid or the CNO or whoever I need to go to, why don't you just make things easy on me and you and just let me in on this one." Harm questioned.
"Because I don't know where you'll be fore sure, I don't know how long you'll be gone and I can't guarantee that you'll live." Nate replied simply.
"Nate, I can get this guy. I have skills your team might need. You need to let me in on this." Harm was really stressing his argument knowing that he was nearing the end of his rope.
"Why do you want to go on this mission so badly?" Nate asked.
"Call it vengeance for what Bashram did to me in Indonesia; call it avenging wounds done to my friends by this bastard and his whole rotten organization, call it whatever you want but let me on this mission!" Harm had hit the end of his tether. Nate brought a hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose again.
"Fine, you're in. The chopper was waiting to take Mike to Langley, you catch it, you're taking his place. Be at Langley for 0630 Wednesday." Nate turned back toward Moshe and looked out into the grove of trees. "Harm?" Nate turned back to face the tall Naval aviator who was walking away from him. "Don't make me regret this." Harm bowed his head for a second in contemplation before turning away from Nate and heading for the chopper.
0356 ZULU
CAMP DAVID
FREDERICK COUNTY, MARYLAND
Nate groaned as he sat on the couch and pulled the shoes off his feet. "Long day." He said aloud as he rolled his head around. Peach crawled up behind him and began to rub his shoulders. Nate reached up and took one of her hands in his and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss. "How about you?"
"Me?" Peach asked as she leaned her head down on his shoulder. "My day was okay. It's interesting how well you can read the respective Foreign Ministers just on who their wives are."
"Oh, and what makes you say that?" Nate lay back on the bed as Peach moved over.
"Well, you can just tell how evolved and deep the guy is. The French Foreign Minister for example, he's on his third trophy wife, similarly with the Canadian Foreign Minister." Peach explained as she turned to cuddle into him.
"Well they're Frenchmen, that's what they do." Nate joked.
"Alright, then how do you explain the British delegate? His wife used to be an obstetrician or the Israeli Foreign Minister, his wife used to be an IDF Captain." Peach lightly kissed his cheek.
"Alright, alright, point proven." Nate chuckled as he turned to face her. He lightly kissed her forehead. "When we get married, you have to promise to try and stop me from doing anything as stupid as I did tonight." Nate watched as her eyes went wide for a second and she raised a hand to her mouth. She then proceeded to knock the wind out of him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I must have said something right."
"Yeah, you moron, you clearly stated your intentions without going all Princeton and dancing around the subject." Peach whispered into his ear as she seductively began to kiss his neck.
"Honey, that's very nice but I have a serious problem right now." Nate smiled as Peach continued what she was doing.
"You always have a serious problem." Peach answered as her hot breath tickled his neck. "I like that you think you can talk to me about anything but honey you have to understand, I spent eight hours in a room with women who were either talking about themselves or some weird haute couture style. Add to that, I spent nine years working with you everyday. The sexual tension has been building for quite a while; you're going to have to work with me here." She ran her hands over his chest.
"Nicole, baby, I really need to get this off my plate before I can give you my full attention and trust me, I really want to do that." Nate covered her hands with his again. Peach ceased what she was doing just to hear him out.
"Alright, God any other man would just throw me down on the bed and go all cave man on me. I end up with the one man on the planet who would rather talk then roll in the sheets. Fine, what's on your mind?" Peach crawled into his lap so at least he could hold her while he confided in her.
"We're going after Abu Ziyda for the attack on the courtroom today. I was involved in compiling a special team of men for the purposes of taking out Ziyda." Nate lightly began to stroke her arm. "Mike was supposed to head the team."
"Oh, I'm sure that had his wife doing cartwheels." Peach rolled her eyes.
"I had to pull Mike; I had a request to replace him with someone who's more qualified in a lot of areas and equally as qualified in other areas. Harm asked me to get him on the mission and against my better judgement, I did." Nate let out a heavy breath.
"He just had major surgery not long ago. There's no way he could have passed a fit rep to get back on full duty after that, just yet." Peach curled against him.
"I had Leon get me his doctor at Bethesda; Commander Chase assures me that Harm couldn't be more fit if he were Superman." Nat e closed his eyes for a second. "I need to know that I'm doing the right thing by letting him risk his life."
"You're looking for an answer I can't give you. One of the things about being human is that we can't see into the future as much as we might like to be able to. But I know the man I love and I know that when it comes down to it, if you make a decision, a part of you knows that it was the right thing to do; even if it produces unexpected results. You'll just have to wait to see how this one pans out." She lightly brushed his cheek with her hand. "Now that I've given you what you need; care to return the favour?" She tossed him a saucy wink.
"I feel like such a toy." Nate chuckled as the two of them slid back on the bed.
TUESDAY 1725 ZULU
MAC'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN, DC
Harm had to go to Mac's where most of his clothes were since they hadn't had the chance to move them back over to his place yet. He was busy tossing clothes into a sea-bag when he heard the sound of Mac clearing her voice come from the doorway to the guest room. Harm stopped what he was doing and slowly turned to face her. She was standing there in her blue bathrobe cradling a hot cup of coffee between her two hands. "Trying to sneak out?" She ventured as she moved into the room.
"I thought you'd be at work." Harm moved toward her.
"I can see that. The Admiral gave us the day off to come to terms with what happened to Bud. I'm stopping by Harriet's later. I would have said that you would be going there as well but you don't need to pack a sea-bag to go to Harriet's." Mac sat on the edge of the guest bed. "Talk to me, Harm."
"I can't tell you much. I'm leaving, I don't know where I'm going and I don't know when I'll be back." Harm zipped up the sea-bag.
"Is Webb involved in this?" Mac asked.
"He could be. I really wouldn't have any way of knowing. My orders are to go to Langley tomorrow morning." Harm sat down next to her.
"Did you volunteer for this?" Mac was really getting a few bad feelings about what was happening.
"More like pressured the supervising authority in order to be included in this. He was concerned about my health." Harm answered.
"Harm, why do you have to do this? Isn't one brush with death enough for you this year?" Mac's voice broke in mid-sentence, ruining all chance she had placed on maintaining Marine stoicism.
"Mac, you don't understand…" Harm started but she cut him off.
"Bullshit! It's you that doesn't understand. I can't keep seeing you stretched out on hospital beds, mere inches from death. I can't keep doing it Harm, or can't you see that it kills me a little more every time I have to do that? Don't placate me, don't try and reassure me, just don't go!" Mac was fighting tears.
"I have to." Harm answered softly.
"Why? What is compelling you to go and risk your life? What is more important to you then being here with the people who need you right now? I need you right now, don't you understand that?" Mac turned to face him and he tried to curl her up in his arms. "And damn you, why I'm the only one crying again!"
"Because there's nothing sad about this one, aside from the circumstances that caused it, I'm coming back." Harm tried to soothe her but he didn't succeed.
"What did I just say?" Mac was indignant. "I'm a Marine for God's sake, Harm. I may not know exactly what you're getting into but I do know the risks." Harm realized that there was really nothing more that he could do. He got up and through the sea-bag over his shoulder before heading for the door of the guest room. He turned back for a second to look at Mac. She was still sitting on the edge of the bed in her dark blue bathrobe. "By the way, Mac; I bought a plant for my apartment." Harm then continued his walk out of the apartment.
WEDNESDAY 1057 ZULU
CIA HEADQUARTERS
LANGLEY, VIRGINIA
"Rabb, since when are you ever early for anything?" Clayton Webb was leaning against his car in the parking lot.
"Oh God, Webb; tell me I don't have to work with you on this one." Harm rolled his eyes as he walked over to the familiar agent.
"Sorry, looks like you're stuck with me for however long this thing lasts. We're supposed to meet two other members of the team here." Webb looked around the parking lot.
"Not more spooks, tell me that Nate has at least that much sense." Harm joked as he stood next to Clay, leaning on the car.
"No, Secretary Ross recruited a Marine and a Navy SEAL to round out our team. I believe the exact words he gave to Reid and Kershaw were 'I'll be damned if I let the CIA fuck this up like they fucked up Iran.' So, the only way that the CIA was getting any men on this mission was if we had some military men with us who knew how to get the job done." Webb explained. "I don't know what he's got a grudge against the Company about; the guy has as much spy in him as anyone I know."
"Maybe, but he's just an assassin. He may have worked for the CIA on a few missions as a sniper but Nate never lost the idea that he participated as an officer in the Marine Corps. There's a reason that he trusts Marines and SEALs, they're highly trained and fiercely loyal whereas CIA agents are just trained." Harm had to laugh. "Can't say I blame him; I'd trust Chegwidden or Mac with my life before you."
"Just the thing you want to tell someone that you're going on a mission with." Webb shook his head. "I'm guessing that you have no idea what we're doing or where we're going either."
"Not a clue. Nate told me that only the person in charge of the mission was given the details. Since that was supposed to be Mike, and neither you nor I have the details, my guess is that one of our two missing teammates has the details of the plan." Harm turned his eyes toward the pavement.
"Well, it's not me." A familiar voice came walking up behind them.
"Gunny!" Harm exclaimed, happy to see the familiar Marine. "You're the Marine assigned to his mission?"
"Yes, sir, after that little trip through the jungle in Indonesia, I told the Secretary that I would like to use my training as a Marine to fight terrorism on a more precise level. So, he offered me this job." Gunny finished shaking Harm's hand. "I had a feeling that I would be seeing Mr. Webb soon and in answer to your question, I'm just as curious as to who will lead our team, sir."
"I think that I may have an answer to that question." Another voice was heard in the parking lot. To Harm the voice was vaguely familiar, he hadn't heard it in a long time but he slowly recognized the voice.
"I believe that's the voice of Commander Ethan Baxter, United States Navy SEAL. Let me guess, you're our new CO?" Harm turned to see his old friend walking through the parking lot.
"I got the call from the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence last night." Bax stood in front of his team. "Gentlemen, we're about to board a helicopter that will take us to Dover AFB. From Dover we hop a military transport to the NATO airfield in Kabul. From there, a squad of Recon Marines attached to the 22nd MEU is going to take us over the border into Pakistan from there, we're going to search for Abu Ziyda in one of the most hostile regions on the planet. Gentlemen, we're going to Kashmir." Bax took a breath and the four men walked over to the Helo that had set down in the parking lot while Bax had been talking.
1104 ZULU
HARM'S APARTMENT
NORTH OF UNION STATION
Sarah MacKenzie used her key to get into Harm's apartment. She heard a scratching coming from Harm's bedroom and she instinctively went toward it with her gun drawn. When she got into the bedroom, Mac found the most heart-warming sight. In a small kennel cage was a German Shepherd puppy. There was a note written on yellow legal paper attached to the front of the cage. Mac picked up the note and began to read.
Dear Ninja-girl,
Hope this is better then a plant. I want you to know that I am coming back and that this puppy is a way for us to be close while I'm not here. I named the pooch 'jarhead', German Shepherds are just too hardcore to have anything other then a Marine name and I know how much you miss Jingo since he went to live with Chloe. I'll be back.
Harm
End of Season Three