Mac could feel the eyes on her as she prepared her opinion in her head. "Well, sir, while I don't doubt the benefit that could be had with having an exchange officer in our midst, there is something to be said for an office that run with the efficiency that this office does. As such, I think Lieutenant Austin would probably be the choice that would keep the office running at optimal efficiency." Mac concluded.
"Nicely put, Major. Commander Rabb, you're up next." The Admiral looked next to Mac where Harm was seated.
"Well, sir, I know Commander Turner to be a by the book Naval officer and fine human being. His personality, would, in my opinion, make him a real asset to this office. Commander Turner has my support." Harm didn't like taking a side opposite Mac but choosing between Meg and Sturgis was tough enough. He knew in his gut that Sturgis was better for the office.
"One for Austin, One for Turner. Lieutenant Roberts, you're next." The Admiral looked down the table at Bud.
"Having worked with Lieutenant Austin, sir. I can't think of another person that would better fit the dynamic of this office." Bud had a soft spot for Meg. After all, it had been her recommendation that got him where he was.
"Alright, Ensign Sims, you're up." The Admiral looked at Harriet who was sitting across the table from her husband.
"Sir, if Commander Turner is the by the book officer that Commander Rabb and his record say that he is than I think his presence in this office would be invaluable. I think I'll support him, sir." Harriet was almost timid but Harm knew what she was getting at. This office could be a micro-manager's hell and Sturgis would certainly be one to help Harriet with that task.
The Admiral turned and gathered opinions from both Commander Imes and Commander Mattoni next. Imes supported bringing Meg back to JAG while Mattoni supported bringing Turner in. There was an even split. Three people had cast their lot with Lieutenant Austin and three had cast their lot with Commander Turner. The Admiral turned to his left where his Chief of Staff was fidgeting idly with his pen. "Looks like the Chief of Staff is going to make the final call on the newest staff member."
"I could cheap out and cast my lot with Brumby just to make the Admiral make the decision but in my experience, it's best to limit the loyalties of the office to just one country. I'm sure that Lieutenant Austin holds some very strong personal loyalties in this office but what we need is a senior investigator. I'm casting my lot with Commanders Rabb and Mattoni and Ensign Sims. I say we bring Turner aboard." Jim tossed his pen on to the legal pad that lay in front of him.
"That's the decision than. I'll call Norfolk and Commander Turner should be here by 1400 this afternoon. I trust that my Chief of Staff and Commander Rabb will do their best to bring Commander Turner up to speed when it comes to his place." The Admiral looked from Harm to Jim and then back to Harm.
"Aye, aye, sir." The two men replied.
"Good, then you all are dismissed." The Admiral got up from his chair and the staff followed his lead in leaving the staff call. As, was routine after staff call, Harm, Mac, Bud and Jim all congregated in Mac's office but there was the suspicion that cases were no going to be the topic of conversation.
"Sir, I thought you liked having Lieutenant Austin here?" Bud asked as he closed the door to the office.
"I did, Bud. Commander Turner is a better fit for what we need right now. You've done great filling the role that Meg filled while she was here. We don't need another junior officer at the moment." Harm protested as he took his seat.
"Bud, when we were all covering the case at LeJeune a few weeks back, we didn't have anyone here to send into the field to investigate if another investigation came up. With Turner here, we'll have that and that's the kind of senior officer we need." Jim added as he leaned up against the filing cabinet in Mac's office.
"I think that the two of you just wanted another drinking buddy." Mac quipped with a tone that was half playful but half serious.
"Any of you see the Delaporte special on ZNN, last night?" Bud was trying to change the topic of conversation.
"Yeah, that's gonna kick up a shit storm to rival any bronco stampede." Jim uttered.
"Feeling of ominous storm clouds gathering overhead." Harm stated in his best radio announcer imitation.
In his office, Admiral Chegwidden was in the middle of a meeting with Congresswoman Latham over the very report that was being discussed in Mac's office. "I trust that you saw the Delaporte story on ZNN last night, AJ?"
"Yeah but what does that have to do with my office?" AJ queried
"I'm convening the National Security subcommittee to conduct hearings into the Sarin gas allegations furthered by Mr. Delaporte. I need one of your people working on my staff for their military expertise and expertise in military law." Bobbi explained almost as if she'd prepared this conversation.
"And you want one of my people? I'm sorry Congresswoman but I'm not entirely enthusiastic about short-staffing myself to help you make points in the polls." AJ retorted with a fiery glint in his eyes.
"I need to get to the bottom of this, Admiral. I'm sure that you don't want to stand in between Congress and the truth on this matter. The press will scream 'cover-up'." Bobbi protested.
"Fine, I'll give you Colonel Grant. He's a Force Recon Marine, Medal of Honour winner; his expertise on this issue should be invaluable." The Admiral supplied.
"It would be, if Colonel Grant wasn't being called before the subcommittee for his testimony." Bobbi fired back.
"What do you mean; he's being called in front of the committee?" AJ rose from his chair.
"Colonel Grant, while he was still a Major, was the XO of all Marine Recon operations for allied forces involved in Desert Storm. He, along with his then CO, Colonel Cobb will both be called to testify in front of the committee." Bobbi smiled almost smugly.
"Fine, you can have Commander Rabb provided this does not interrupt with any of his pre-existing duties here at JAG." The Admiral offered.
"That doesn't give me much to work with, Admiral." Bobbi protested.
"Well you didn't give me much to work with by just barging in here, Congresswoman." AJ retorted and Bobbi stormed out of his office. "Tiner, get me Rabb and Grant." The Admiral let go of the intercom button and waited for his officers.
"Reporting as ordered, sir." Jim stated as he and Harm came through the Admiral's door.
"I trust that the two of you know about Delaporte?" He looked over and saw the two men nodding in the affirmative. "Congresswoman Latham was just in here telling me that she needs a military liaison for her congressional investigation into the reported incident. As per the usual way I dispense assignments, this dealt with Force Recon which meant that the ball went to Colonel Grant. She told me I couldn't do that; would either of you care to guess why?"
"Because I was the staff XO for all Special ops operations during Desert Storm and I will likely be called to testify as to my knowledge of the events." Jim stated plainly with an almost annoyed quality to his voice.
"That's right, so Commander Rabb has point on this one. After Commander Turner arrives after lunch and you two settle him in, Rabb, you're TAD to Bobbi Latham's staff on Capital Hill." The Admiral administered each of them his official 'CO' look before going into friend-mode. "As a side-note; Rabb don't piss off Latham any more than necessary this week. Jim, don't punch anybody on Capital Hill. You're dismissed."
"Never a boring day in this office." Harm stated as the two of them walked through the bullpen.
"I could do without my chain of command being accused of committing a war crime. But to each his own I suppose." Jim stated bluntly, with a controlled anger.
"We can't talk about this, we're on opposite sides of this investigation." Harm retorted.
"Harm, this is an investigation, there are no sides yet. Only congress would be so quick to draw lines, don't start thinking like a politician." Jim warned.
"Hey, who's more apolitical than me?" Harm questioned with a joking tone in his voice.
"The dead but they're funnier too." Jim shot back.
1700 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
Sturgis Turner was tall and confident as he carried a box full of office supplies toward the JAG bullpen. His first day at his new duty station. All he'd been told by Captain Fletcher at the Norfolk NLSO was that Admiral Chegwidden's staff had been impressed enough with his record to support transferring him in to their office to fill an empty position for a senior litigator and investigator. The first sight that caught Sturgis Turner's eye when he walked through the big glass doors at JAG were two rather striking women in Marine green.
They were striking for different reasons. The one woman portrayed the opposite picture of what a Marine Corps uniform normally lead one to believe. She looked graceful and feminine and too cute to be a Marine but if the fruit salad on her uniform was any indication, he probably shouldn't tell her that she looked too cute to be a Marine.
It was the woman next to her though, she caught Sturgis' attention more intently. There was something about her that was so familiar. He knew her, at least he thought he did. There were too many years that had passed since he'd seen her, really seen her. Last time she looked cold, lifeless……Diane! That's who she reminded him of but she didn't just remind him, this woman was a dead ringer.
"I wouldn't get too hung up, those women basically have 'look but don't touch' painted on them." Alan Mattoni stood next to Sturgis Turner.
"Excuse me, Commander?" Sturgis was startled out of his contemplation and he looked over at the man who was talking to him.
"The one on the left is Major MacKenzie, she's engaged to be married and the one on the right is Captain Harris, she's pregnant with the baby of your new Chief of Staff, Commander." Mattoni explained.
"Thank you for the update, Commander. Could you please just point me toward my new office?" Sturgis was getting a little annoyed with having been pummelled with the social aspect of the office after just having walked through the big doors for the first time.
"Petty Officer Tiner, here, will direct you, Commander." Mattoni motioned for Tiner who was walking across the bullpen toward them. When Tiner had reached Sturgis, Mattoni broke away from them and headed off on his own.
Tiner led Sturgis over to the office next to Jim's. Sturgis nodded to Tiner before opening the door to his new office only to find someone sitting in his chair which was turned away from the door. "You know, I never thought the bubblehead would surface and I certainly never thought he'd surface as a lawyer." The man said and Sturgis recognized the voice immediately. Harm turned in the chair toward the door. "How's it going, Sturgis?"
"Harm! Well, I guess I'm not going to get any work done in this office." Sturgis smiled as Harm got up and pulled him into a big bear hug.
"Don't worry about it, no work ever gets done in this office. I know that should be hell on your sensibilities." Harm joshed his friend. "It's been too long, man."
"Too damn long. Well this is your office, she's no room at the Ritz but…"Harm started and Sturgis cut him off.
"But she'll have to do. That's how I greeted you when you walked into our room back at the Academy." Sturgis and Harm laughed at the memory.
"The Chief of Staff should be in here any minute to help me bring you up to speed and than I got to split on up to the Hill for a while." Harm stated as he let Sturgis take the chair he had been previously occupying.
"This have to do with the Delaporte thing that I saw yesterday?" Sturgis suggested as he set his box down on his desk.
"You always were the perceptive one." Harm retorted. "There was one more thing I wanted to talk to you about quickly before we get interrupted by official business."
"You're pregnant and I'm the father?" Sturgis quipped with a smile.
"Very funny, I'm getting married." Harm announced and he saw Sturgis' eyes widen in shock. "And I need a groomsman."
"Of course. I…I...I just can't believe some woman was finally able to tame the great Tomcatting monster that was Harmon Rabb. When do I get to meet her?" Sturgis recovered from the initial shock.
"I suppose, you could meet her right now if you wanted to." Harm stated with a great enthusiasm. Sturgis looked puzzled; if his friend's fiancée was in the office than what was he doing here welcoming him?
"Sure, I think I've got a few stories I could tell her about our Academy days." Sturgis laughed as he got out of his chair.
"I think Keeter beat you that one." Harm remarked as they headed across the bullpen. They walked over to Mac's office where she had just gotten back from lunch with Angie and Harriet. Harm knocked on the door and opened it. "Mac, I brought our newest member of the senior staff over to say hello." Harm said with a smile as he opened the door.
You've got to be kidding me, Sturgis thought. Harm's fiancée was the dead ringer for Diane? Harm sure didn't make life simple that was for sure. "Sturgis Turner." Sturgis extended his hand almost hesitantly.
"Sarah MacKenzie but everyone around here, even flyboy calls me 'Mac'." She smiled as she shook Sturgis' hand.
"Flyboy?" Sturgis looked suspiciously at his friend. "She domesticated you that easily?"
"She's a Marine that makes her an overachiever." Harm replied with a shrug.
"She's also right here and would like to state that it was not that easy to domesticate him. I should take some time later to tell you about the murder charges, the Reprisal, Russia, Syria, the Teddy Roosevelt and the Sudanese Embassy." Mac laughed as she saw Harm roll his eyes.
"You two have just met and already you're ganging up on me. I shudder to think what will happen once Sturgis has been here for a while." Harm joked.
"I'll probably have more questions about how you managed to convince her to marry you." Sturgis replied.
"I know I'll never figure it out." Jim picked that minute to step into the office. Sturgis practically burst out of his seat and came to attention which caused Harm and Mac to laugh. "I think that's the first time somebody's done that since I've been stationed here." Jim laughed. "At ease, Commander."
"Alright, I suppose we should brief Sturgis on how things work around here. First off, buddy, the only person who always gets referred to by rank around here is the Admiral. Our cases and investigations are administered at a staff meeting every morning. Ensign Sims-Roberts is the office manager and her husband, Lieutenant Roberts, is our junior investigator." Harm started the explanation.
"Husband? How can they…" Sturgis started but Mac cut him off.
"The top of Harriet's chain of command is technically the IG, she's TAD to JAG." Mac informed him.
"A TAD with no foreseeable end?" Sturgis inquired like he was getting the drift.
"You've got it. We all work as a team unless we're going up against each other in court and even then there's a strong tendency in this office to work together for the sake of finding the truth rather than winning a case." Harm continued.
"Wait, I just have one question. I understand how the Admiral was able to juggle Lieutenant Roberts and his wife but what about you two?" Sturgis pointed indicating Harm and Mac. To be honest, it was something that they themselves were acknowledging in the back of their minds, if just.
"The Admiral and I are taking care of that one. We're in the process of pulling Alex Nelson's teeth to get dispensation orders for these two." Jim added, something which brought smiles to Harm and Mac's respective faces.
"Alright, I think that's it. I have to go meet Congresswoman Latham up on the hill for this inquiry into the Delaporte story. Sturgis, why don't you stop by the apartment for a welcoming dinner. Mac will give you directions, if you need them" Harm turned to leave the office.
"Sounds good, buddy." Sturgis shouted after Harm as he left the office.
"I have to go get ready for my testimony before the committee, so I've got the rest of the day's leave to work in my office on that." Jim turned out the door.
"So…where did you and Harm meet?" Sturgis turned toward Mac.
"The White House Rose Garden." Mac replied plainly.
"Seriously?" Sturgis looked surprised.
"Come on, we'll go talk to the Admiral, he'll tell you a few stories about Harm and I and in a few hours, that will be the least shocking thing you've heard all day." Mac and Sturgis got up and headed for the Admiral's office.
2415 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH. VIRGINIA
Harm was due back very soon from the end of his first day of the inquiry with Congresswoman Latham. Mac and Sturgis had spent the entire afternoon and now the entire evening in the Admiral's office, where Mac and the Admiral filled Sturgis in on some of the escapades of the last three years. Jim had left the office around 4pm to go and retrace the events of that particular Desert Storm Special Ops mission with Colonel Cobb out in Leesburg.
A man had come into the office around 1900 that evening looking for Mac. Harriet told him that she was in conference with the Admiral and if he absolutely needed to talk to her, he could wait in her office. Jim came back into the office around 1945 and had gone straight to his office, after a few minutes there he decided to head over to the Admiral's office and get permission to secure for the day.
Years of wilderness experience and Recon experience tend to sharpen one's mind. If you've ever spent days tracking deer through the Tennessee woods you too would develop the nose of a bloodhound and that's exactly what God had given Jim Grant. One incredible proclivity for sensory perception. Walking through the bullpen, he was able to pick up on a familiar blend of smells and raked his mind for what they were and why they were stored in his memory bank. There was cheap hair glue, five dollar cologne and grime. "Ensign Sims, is there someone in Major MacKenzie's office?"
"Yes, sir, he came in about half an hour before you returned. The lights are off, how did you know someone was in there?" Harriet inquired.
"When a familiar presence is around it's like the displacement of water. Tensions raise and your senses become more aware, Ensign." Jim stated and anyone who knew his demeanour could notice the shift in his eyes. The hunter was back. "Ensign, I could tell you who's behind that door without opening it." Jim took off his green coat, garrison cap and his tie. He then proceeded to roll up the sleeves on his collared shirt. "Keep this under your hat." Was his last warning before he walked over to Mac's office and opened the door.
The darkness cloaked around the two figures in the room. The six-foot-three Marine Colonel knew what was about to transpire. He knew who the other person was in the room. He watched as the other man walked over to the light switch and flicked it upward. The other man was startled by the fact that he was standing in front of a Marine who had every intention to lay into him with his fists. "I never expected to see you here." The man stated plainly.
"I know that, I told you that if you came near her again I'd snap your neck in eight places. I'd make you hurt so badly that you'd wish you were dead and I wouldn't give you the mercy of killing you and guess what? My offer still stands." Jim's jaw was set firm as he stared down the other man.
"So Mr. Marine thinks he can stand between me and wife who's trying to divorce me? I got the papers she filed a few weeks ago. You're going to have to kill me because that's the only way you're going to stop me." The man spat.
"You think I won't, Ragle?" Jim shot right back. "I've killed men with my bare hands, I've done things in combat that you couldn't imagine, much less do and do you think that I would think twice about ending your miserable life on this spot, right now? Sign the papers, leave them on her desk and get out before I start breaking bones that you need!" Jim was careful not to raise his voice and attract the attention of anyone in the bullpen.
Ragle reeled back to take a swing at him but Jim was faster. After dodging the punch, Jim grabbed Ragle by the collar of his shirt and the waist of his pants and threw him headlong into Mac's filing cabinet. "I'm going to warn you one more time before you hurt yourself, again. Sign the papers, leave them on her desk and get out!" Jim had his foot firmly across Ragle's throat as he watched him squirm on the ground. Ragle pulled a knife from his pocket and jabbed it into the side of Jim's leg, cause the Marine to recoil and giving Ragle the necessary time to get up off the ground.
"Not so tough, are you Mr. Marine?" Ragle taunted as he got to his feet.
"You wanna see tough, boy?" Jim growled as he landed a hard right cross on Ragle's jaw. Jim landed a left jab followed by an uppercut to the jaw and Ragle went crashing through Mac's office door and out into the bullpen. He saw Ragle bleeding from his lip and nose. "Just give it up, I'm warning you." Jim taunted as he saw Ragle get to his feet.
Tiner had sprung into action, the second the fight crashed into the bullpen and he'd run in to get the Admiral, Mac and Sturgis. Ragle had gotten to his feet yet again and this time he tried to make a run at Jim but the Marine was too fast yet again. Before Ragle could get too close, Jim's arm lashed out and his hand gripped Ragle by the throat. It was the same kind of technique he's used when he was a boy to catch Copperheads. He hoisted Ragle in to the air, suspending him inches above the floor.
The Admiral along with Mac and Sturgis decided to pick this moment to enter the bullpen. The Admiral knew, in depth the tactic that Jim was using. His fingers were crushing the man's jugular, slowly, torturously and almost slowly killing him as they sent countless millilitres of blood into his mouth. He could see the man grasping for breath and pulsing for circulation as he watch Jim's grasp on his throat tighten. "Drop him, Colonel, that's an order!" The Admiral bellowed.
The Marine's demeanour changed yet again and the hunter was gone. Jim gave his head a shake and lowered Ragle to the ground. "What the hell happened here?" Mac demanded as she stepped forward.
"A friendly misunderstanding." Ragle spat, knowing himself to be every bit as in the wrong as the Marine who had thrashed him so thoroughly.
"Friendly, hell! If I hadn't ordered him down, they'd be wheeling you out of here in a body bag, son." The Admiral protested. "Colonel, my office, now!" The Admiral and Jim went into the Admiral's office and that action was promptly followed by the slamming of a door.
"Chris, what the hell are you doing here?" Mac demanded.
"I got the divorce papers. I know you're not serious, Sarah." Ragle drew himself in close to her. He was too close for comfort for one, Sturgis Turner. In lieu of Harm's presence, Sturgis took it upon himself to do what he knew Harm would do for him. He stepped between Mac and Chris.
"I think it would be best if you left." Sturgis warned.
"Wow, Sarah, I'm impressed. You've got almost every man here wrapped around your finger." Ragle taunted. "First the Marine, now the Navy man here and I already know about your Commander boyfriend." Ragle was snarling at Mac like some mad beast.
"Friend, I suggest you leave. I'm not a violent man but my father taught me not to let anyone get away with talking that way to a lady." Sturgis warned, he lorded his stature over Ragle.
"Oh, shut up! Who the hell are you to get involved in this anyway?" Ragle made possibly the worst mistake of the night by hitting Sturgis Turner right then. His punch sent Sturgis to the ground, sure but at that moment not only did Jim and the Admiral come out of the Admiral's office but Harm entered through the glass doors at JAG.
"I'll help Commander Turner. Rabb and Grant, you get that son of a bitch!" The Admiral commanded JAG like he was back on the bridge of a destroyer and his crew was on high alert. The Admiral went to examine Sturgis' nose. Harm Jim went after Chris like pit bulls that had been let off the leash. At this time of night, the JAG bullpen was practically empty so the incident was relatively contained. Harm's stride was longer and as a result he caught Ragle and tackled him to the ground. Jim was fast standing over the two men.
"Harm, go and be with Mac and the Admiral to help Sturgis. I'll take care of this situation." Jim stated through gritted teeth. Harm made a move to protest but Jim stopped him. "Consider it an order, Commander. One that, if necessary, I will issue a written copy of if you make me." Jim placed his foot on Chris' throat and Harm got up from the floor. Jim gave him a pat on the back before sending Harm back through the big glass doors and into the JAG Ops bullpen.
Jim grabbed Ragle by the collar and threw him up against the wall. "Alright, now if you want to be able to walk out of this building of your own volition, I suggest that you just sign the papers and get the hell out."
"Why the hell should I do anything you say?" Ragle spat at him.
"Because if you don't, I'll kill you and that will immediately nullify the marriage. So, you have two options, only one of which means you get to live and both of which immediately end this long-running sham that you call a marriage. Now, are you going to do this the easy way or the hard way?" Jim grip on Ragle's neck tightened.
He saw Ragle fight for the last ounce of composure he had in him before the inevitable came. Jim had seen the expression before, years of carving Marines told him when a man had reached his point and Chris Ragle had reached his point. He knew that there was no way he was walking out of this building with Mac and that there was only one way he was walking out of JAG Ops today.
"Why does she deserve to have a life without me!" Ragle demanded but it didn't take an expert in human behaviour to hear the last cries of a desperate man.
"Do you want me to go down the list of reasons? If you love her as much as you claim, you have to realize that she's happy with her life as it is. You're not a part of that. Sign the papers and make her happy." Jim almost sounded like he was making a closing argument.
"Why does she deserve to be happy!" It was evident, that Ragle was fighting a battle with himself that he couldn't win. Jim was trying hard to bear down on a man that only a decade earlier he had beaten to within an inch of his life but now, now he couldn't bring himself to be aggressive with him.
"Let her go, Ragle." Jim stated solemnly. Jim produced a pen and the divorce papers and handed them to Ragle. "Part of being a man, is knowing the fights where you have to throw in the towel. You can't win this one, no matter how hard you try." Ragle did, what had to be the only selfless act in his life, he took the papers from the Marine's hand and with a reluctance that was immeasurable, he signed them.
"Are you happy now?" Ragle spouted through gritted teeth.
"That's not the question. The question is, will she be happy? You and I both know the answer to that and if you love her as much as you claim to, that answer should satisfy you, even if the circumstances don't." Jim refuted as Ragle moved toward the elevator.
"Life sucks." Ragle stated as he stepped on to the elevator.
"Just think, you've still got grey hair and knee replacements to look forward to." Jim smiled sarcastically as the elevator doors closed and sealed Chris Ragle off from JAG Headquarters and the people therein. Jim took the now signed papers back into the bullpen of JAG Ops and handed them to Mac. "At least this time, it's official." Jim remarked with a smile.
"If I'd known better, it would have been last time." Mac sounded caustic as she looked at the paper in front of her.
"I hate to interrupt this cryptic moment, but would anyone care to tell me exactly what's going on?" Harm looked from Jim to Mac.
"I think this is one for the Major to handle." Jim headed over to the side where the Admiral and Sturgis were gathered. The three men decided to head over toward Jim's office so that they wouldn't disturb two people that had a lot to talk about.
Harm rose to his feet, instead of the crouching position that he had previously maintained at Mac's feet. "What is it, Sarah?" He tried to comfort her amidst the confusion that was ravaging his mind. He looked over at the desk and saw the papers that Jim had handed Mac a few seconds earlier. "He was your husband." Harm stated with an almost defeated tone.
"That was a long time ago." Mac sounded every bit as beaten up inside as he did.
"Not according to these. According to these papers it was only a matter of minutes ago! Damnit, why didn't you tell me this? When did you file for these?" Harm's mind was starting to give way to some of the questions that were assaulting it.
"I filed for them just before Bud and Harriet's wedding. I didn't tell you because I've had a hard enough time over the last few months trying to believe that I'm good enough for you, being reminded of this sham of a marriage that, in my heart and mind ended more than a decade ago, wasn't exactly helping with that fact!" She protested as tears rose in her eyes.
"You betrayed my trust, Mac. Not with this," he held up the divorce papers, "I would have helped you through that. You betrayed my trust by not telling me about this and trusting me to help you through this." He crouched down and took her hands in his.
"Oh God, Harm, I'm so sorry." Mac pouted as she tried to recoil from his touch.
"It's okay, I just….I don't know, we've been doing so well lately, I guess something was bound to come up. I was hoping for a crazy cousin or maybe a sixth toe or something." Harm smiled to add levity to her mood.
"How can you let this go so easily? You have every right to be furious with me for not telling you about Chris, or any of this." Mac protested.
"Did you mean for any of this to happen? For your ex-husband to come back, any of it?" He looked into her eyes and saw her shake her head. "Sarah, I love you. It means more to me to have you in my life than risk life without you in it. I forgive you because I love you. Just like I know that you didn't mean for all this to blow up and even if it did, I know you would protect me for the same reason. Am I mad? Yeah, a little but I'll get over it. There are more important things in life than my anger. You've helped me realize that."
"Are you feeling alright? I was expecting an earful……. I don't deserve you." She tried to smile weakly but failed.
"Let's look at it from the positive angle. We finally got to see how Sturgis would act in a bar fight, your ex-husband got the crap beaten out of him by one angry Marine and you got the papers signed." He extended his arm to her to lift her up out of the chair.
"We still owe your friend a dinner to welcome him to DC." Mac pointed out.
"You're right, maybe you two will be able to help me out with this Delaporte thing, something doesn't quite smell right." The two of them walked arm in arm over toward Jim's office where Sturgis was waiting patiently to be taken to dinner.
1700 ZULU
NATIONAL SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE
WASHINGTON DC
Jim took the stand after Colonel Cobb when the hearings kicked into full gear. When Bobbi Latham had called him to the stand, the whole thing reminded Harm of that scene from A Few Good Men when Jack Nicholson's character was called to testify. All those in uniform in the hearing room were more than aware of Jim Grant's record and the mere mentioning of his name among the company in that room was met with reverence. The only person who seemed unfazed by the man about to step through the doors at the back was Harm who had come to know the man behind the stats sheet.
Harm could even tell that Bobbi Latham was a little spooked by the challenge she had brought to bear with this witness. Jim Grant was no dumb Jarhead from Podunk, USA; the man had a BA and LLD from Dartmouth. This was an all Ivy League match up of a Democrat and a Marine and Harm had a front row seat.
Jim's entrance reminded Harm of line that Neil Diamond had once written in a song about an evangelical preacher. The second the man stepped through the doors and lifted his face, every ear in the place was on him. "Thank you for joining us today, Colonel." Bobbi stated plainly.
"I'd respond in kind, but you interrupted my golf game." Jim replied with a sarcastic smile as Harm and even a few Congressmen repressed laughs. Harm saw a reply like that coming, he'd even coached Bobbi not to give Jim any leeway in which to demean her investigation but she did it anyway.
"This is a serious matter, Colonel!" Bobbi protested in a stern tone.
"You're absolutely right; the media has committed a travesty against the Marine Corps. Trust me, Congresswoman, I take that very seriously." Jim's voice carried an unusual gravely seriousness that was not characteristic of his normally pleasant slight southern drawl.
"So, you're going to sit there and tell me that this whole thing is one great big media hoax, is that it?" Bobbi was ready to fight for every inch in this tug of war.
"What I'm going to tell you, Congresswoman, is that the Recon Marines under my command during this campaign and any campaign in which I have served in a position of administration have never acted in anything less than the manner which is exactly what is expected from them by God, the American people and the United States Marine Corps. If we could get politicians to behave in the same way, maybe we wouldn't have military officers referring to Washington as the 'cesspool on the Potomac'." Jim was just firing up that no-nonsense, tough as nails Marine Corps sensibility of his.
"If that is so, Colonel, then why was Sarin gas suspected to have been used by the Marines during Operation Sirocco? Were they just living up to the example set by you and other officers in the Corps?" Bobbi Latham knew how to fire back as well as she was taking it.
"Congresswoman, since your sense of history seems to be leaving you; perhaps I should remind you that Saddam had been known to use toxic nerve agents on his own people. The Chemical Engineers in question could quite feasibly have been working with the agent and had their facilities compromised by regular bullets." Jim tossed back with his regular dramatic flare.
"What about reports that the Marines in question were carrying Sarin gas?" Bobbi inquired.
"No Marine, would carry Sarin gas under my orders or the orders of any Marine with half a brain rolling around under his crew-cut. It's a toxic nerve agent that if utilized improperly could unleash its effects on the carrier just as easily as it could the intended victim. My Marines were cleared to carry Tear gas, that's it." Jim leaned into the microphones.
"What about this CIA briefing, Colonel. Were you privy to the information in it concerning the three American chemical engineers in question?" Bobbi Latham held out the document and handed it to the Page who handed it to Jim who looked over the document.
"No, I was not privy to this particular briefing, Congresswoman. I can't see why it would matter, in any case." Jim looked up from the paper, at Bobbi and then without breaking his stare he handed the papers back to the Page.
"What would have happened if you had been privy to the information, Colonel?" Bobbi leaned over her microphone like a lioness that thought she had cornered a gazelle.
"Those engineers would still be dead, Congresswoman. We have to face the fact that there is no grey zone in combat and that is what our Marines were in that night; combat. Those engineers were Americans, helping a country that we were at war with, develop the means to harm American soldiers; it's just that simple and guess what? It doesn't take a Yale law degree to understand. Those engineers committed treason, plain and simple. The punishment for treason, which is death, was served upon them swiftly and my only regret is, that we are wasting our breath and taxpayer dollars discussing the proper fates of these so-called men." Jim's glare was intense, his lips were pursed and his teeth were gritted.
Bobbi was about to snap back at him when one her fellow Congressman jumped into the fray to interrupt the pending scrap. "Thank you, Colonel. That will be all." The Congressman smiled and Bobbi stepped back from her pedestal.
"We will dismiss for the day." Bobbi banged the gavel and dismissed the hearing. Harm and Jim got up from their seats and met in the hallway outside of the committee room. Harm had to admit, Bobbi Latham had made a critical mistake that a law student normally learns when they read Robert Jackson's examination of Hermann Goring. Even though Jim Grant certainly had more honour and credibility than Hermann Goring, that should have made him a more dangerous witness for Bobbi Latham. She still let him control the hearing, control her questions and as a result she had to dance to his tune.
"You manage to track down Sergeant Morrison?" Harm asked as the two men walked toward the Government Issue sedan waiting for them in the parking lot.
"Yeah, do you have Bud looking for the original mission tape of Sirocco?" Jim looked over at Harm as they burst through the doors.
"In the archives as we speak." Harm took the driver's seat of the car.
1930 ZULU
RAY'S BAR
WASHINGTON, DC
"We can't go in there in our uniforms." Harm protested as the two men got out of the car. "They'll close up like shrivelled clams."
"We don't need everyone to talk, just Morrison. If we can get Morrison to talk and we can get that video record that should be enough to cool Congresswoman Latham's jets." Jim smiled as they approached the door to the bar.
"Well, you did a pretty good job of deflating her ego today. Did you have to direct every caustic remark you could make, at her?" Harm sounded at least half-serious.
"Bobbi Latham is from the school of Democrats that believe that the military in general and the Marine Corps in particular are antiquated institutions of aggression, drunkenness, chauvinism and sadism. They think that their Ivy League educations and political status entitle them to pass judgement. When they butt heads with people just as educated but standing on the flip side of the coin, they tend to get a little nervous. You could sense, just as well as I could that Latham was nervous this morning. So, when she came at me, I came back with everything I could muster." Jim swung the door to the bar wide open. "After you."
The two men walked through the door and into the bar. The place was a dank kind of smoke-filled atmosphere with a few Miller beer lights hanging from the wall. The two officers did stand out like sore thumbs but there was no one that was willing to get aggressive with the two rather imposing figures. Harm walked over to the bar and motioned for the bartender. "You know a Clive Morrison?" The bartender pointed over Harm's shoulder to a solitary figure who was nursing a beer while sitting in a booth against the wall. "Give me three of whatever he drinks."
The bartender produced three bottles of beer from under the bar and handed them to Harm who handed one of the bottles to Jim. The two JAG officers walked over to the booth where Morrison was sitting. "You look like hell, Sergeant. You got out of the Corps to become a drunk?" Jim sounded as much like a CO as Harm had ever heard.
"Get off my back, Major." Morrison shot back and than realized what he'd said. He looked up and saw Jim standing over him. "Major?" Morrison clamoured out of the booth and almost succeeded in coming to attention.
"As you were, Sergeant. What happened to you? I thought you had the potential to really do something in the Corps, Morrison." Jim sounded disappointed.
"Sirocco, sir. I never thought I could lose that much of a team on one mission. They were all counting on me to get them out; now, I'm the only one left. Are you telling me that wouldn't get to you, sir?" Morrison responded as Jim and Harm took a seat in the booth across from him.
"Seen the news lately, Sergeant?" Harm asked as he pushed the beer bottle across the table.
"Not really one of my priorities, Commander." Morrison replied.
"They're talking about you and Sirocco. They say that your Marines used Sarin gas on that mission. They're accusing you and your men of war crimes." Harm stated as he pointed toward the television where Z-SPAN was in the middle of showing the highlights from Bobbi's questioning of Jim earlier in the day.
"Sir, we didn't use Sarin gas. Major….I mean, Colonel Grant here, could tell you that, he never would have allowed us to be equipped with it." Morrison sounded almost indignant. "What does that mean to me though, sir?"
"We want you to testify." Harm supplied.
"What good would that do, sir? Look at me; those politicians are going to see a drunk who they're not going to believe. My testimony won't do you a damn bit of good." Morrison almost sounded jittery.
"Sergeant, one of the great things about this country is that no matter who you are, you have a right to say your piece. You protected those rights during your time in the Corps. The Corps needs you again, what do you say, Sergeant?" Harm glared across the table and watched as Morrison's resolve steeled.
1600 ZULU
NATIONAL SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE
WASHINGTON, DC
Sergeant Clive Morrison's testimony went much the way that he had predicted in the bar, the previous night. It looked like the evidence was fast mounting up against the Force Recon command that had gone ahead with Operation Sirocco. That was, until Bud had found the video account of the mission in the Naval archives. Harm now had the proof that he needed to prove that the Delaporte recording had been tampered with and that Operation Sirocco had in fact been run to the specifications that Colonel Cobb and Grant had outlined in their testimony.
"I call, Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb Junior to testify." Congresswoman Latham looked up from her microphone. Harm walked in from the hallway outside of the hearing room and took his seat behind the microphones. "Commander, you were attached to my staff in the early days of this inquiry, were you not?"
"Yes ma'am, I was." Harm replied with a smile.
"Why did you ask for separation from my staff, Commander?" Bobbi was keeping the question pro forma.
"With all due respect, I felt that the investigation was being conducted on the basis of the Marines already being guilty. Not enough was being done to try and investigate all sides of the issue." Harm supplied.
"So, you set out to get the truth. What did you come up with?" Bobbi knew that Harm was right. She had been working on this inquiry like the Marines were unruly dogs that needed her handling the choke-chain.
"Well, if I may?" Harm held up the tape in his hand and popped it into the VCR after getting approving nods from the members of the committee. "The Delaporte tape cuts off at eighteen minutes. The tape from the National Naval Archives is twenty-two minutes in length. Since we've already seen the first eighteen minutes of the tape, we'll focus on the part of the tape that was cut out of the aired version."
Harm pointed toward the television where the tape began to play the last four minutes of the tape. Harm stopped the tape at the point when the Marines were loading on to the Helo and the canisters on Sergeant Morrison's belt were visible to the camera that had been equipped with a night-vision feature. "Here we see clearly that the canisters which the door-gunner and Mr. Delaporte both mistook for Sarin gas are in fact marked 'CS' which as we all know, denotes Tear gas under military classification." Harm tossed a look that stated 'Gotcha, you SOB'.
"And you stated that this tape was retrieved from that National Naval Archives?" One of the Congressmen spoke into the microphone.
"Yes, sir." Harm replied as he returned to his seat.
"Thank you, Commander." Bobbi smiled, even if she had been in the wrong, at least justice was served and the idealist in her found some solace in that principle. "Tomorrow, my first witness will be Norman Delaporte, we're adjourned." Bobbi banged the gavel and the hearing was dismissed.
Harm got up from his seat and walked to the back of the courtroom where Jim was standing next to Sergeant Morrison and the two men were talking about the old days. "So, how was I?" Harm asked as he walked to the back.
"A showboat, as usual, but I've come to expect that from you." Jim replied with a wide smile.
"You wound me, Colonel." Harm stated with some mock hurt. "What's next for you Sergeant?" Harm turned toward Morrison who looked cleaned up compared to the man that he had encountered in the bar the previous day.
"With the Colonel's guidance, I've gotten into the rehabilitation centre at Bethesda and I'm seeing a shrink to deal with some of my issues, sir. The Colonel convinced me that, even though I'm not a Marine any more, I was once. That dignity, pride and honour still lives in me somewhere, sir. I've just got to find it again."
"Good for you, Sergeant. Sounds like you're well on your way." Harm gave the man a pat on the shoulder.
"Thank you, sir." Morrison seemed to almost smile. Bobbi Latham came walking over to them from her place behind what Jim had dubbed 'the bench of the Grand Inquisition'.
"Gentlemen." Bobbi acknowledged them all, then turned toward Jim. "Colonel, I believe, I owe you an apology."
"No, you don't owe me an apology. You owe the entire Marine Corps an apology, but I'll settle for you apologizing to Sergeant Morrison." Jim replied. Bobbi Latham didn't particularly like the idea of having to apologize to someone that she saw as less than her equal. It would have been one thing for her to apologise to Harm or Jim, they were well educated and highly respected but Morrison was a drunk.
"I would like to……apologize for my presumptions about you and your men, Sergeant." Bobbi almost choked on the words.
"No problems, congresswoman." Morrison replied and watched as a stunned and now humble Bobbi Latham left the hearing room and Morrison left soon after.
"You know, we have to be two of the craziest lawyers anyone's ever met." Jim admonished.
"Yeah, we've heard that a lot lately." Harm smiled and gave Jim a pat on the shoulder. "Come on, I told Sturgis that we'd meet him at McMurphy's for a beer."
"How's his nose? He took one nasty punch a few days ago." Jim showed a smile of his own as they headed toward the car.
"It's not bleeding any more. I think he's trying to adjust to how close-knit the group at JAG is though." Harm had a puzzled look on his face.
"That's just because he's never had to be bailed out of jail by Mac at five in the morning after getting arrested at a bachelor party." Jim and Harm laughed. "That was a real watershed moment for us."
"Well, with any luck, he'll get bailed out after my bachelor party." Harm tossed back.
"With what Keeter and I are planning, I'm not sure any sane judge will grant us bail." Jim replied which caused Harm to look very, very panicked.