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Just a reminder, to those who don't pay attention: Chapter Eight is really a chapter, it started off as an announcement of delay but then I uploaded the real Chapter Eight, so if you haven't read it, go do so now. That's all, for anything else please see comments at the bottom of this chapter. Now here is Chapter Nine- Enemy Unknown...
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"Excuse me?" I stare at Clay, certain I heard him wrong. "Did you just say that Karen Lowne is dead?"
"Yes, I did. She died July 11, 2002. If you had finished reading the file you would have read that. She died in the psychiatric hospital she was admitted to when she was 'discharged' from the Navy." Webb looks utterly calm as he says this.
"Okay, so humor me here Webb. If Karen Lowne is dead, then who has Chloe and why is she saying she is Lowne?" I really want him to tell me he knows the answers to these questions.
"That is the other reason I am here, Rabb."
"Great, so you know the answers to my questions?"
"I wouldn't go that far, but I think I can shed a little light on the subject." Webb gives me that look he has that says, 'Work with me I am doing what I can'. I know that he really is doing everything within his power to find Chloe, it is just easier to take my frustration out on him than keep it inside.
"Okay so let's illuminate the situation, spill it Webb." I know that my tone is still harsh but I can't seem to change that at the moment.
Webb looks at me, I mean really looks at me, he can read it that I am not truly upset with him, but rather that this whole situation has me on edge and irritable.
"Rabb, I know this is not easy for you to hear, so I am not going to take any offense to your attitude right now. We have two theories at this time. The first is this: Karen Lowne's roommate while in the hospital was very close to Karen, and the notes on her after Karen died indicated that she was confused about her identity. This women, a Maggie Moore, began claiming she was Karen Lowne. She kept telling everyone that she was Karen, and that a mistake had been made, that Maggie was the one who died, and that Karen still lived. Her doctors confirmed that she was adamant about this for over a year, well right up to the time she escaped. Now we are exhuming the body that is currently believed to be Karen Lowne, as well as her brother. We will perform DNA tests to confirm if the two bodies were related."
"Okay, and if they match?" I ask him.
"Well then we know it is likely that it is Maggie Moore that has taken Chloe."
"And if the DNA doesn't match?" I am not sure I want to hear the answer to this question.
"Pray that that isn't the case." Webb says so softly I almost miss it.
"Why, what would that mean?"
"It means that Karen Lowne really is alive and we have one hell of a problem. That is the other theory that we have. If Karen Lowne is alive things get much worse for everyone involved. You see Commander there is one other thing about the real Karen Lowne that factors into this problem."
"What is that Webb, what more could possible go wrong with this?" I stare hard at Webb. He is clearly uncomfortable, shifting his gaze to continually scan the area around the Wall. I know that he doesn't like to stay in one place too long, especially when discussing sensitive material.
"Let's walk Rabb." I nod my consent, and we begin to move east towards the Reflecting Pool. Seeming more at ease, if Webb is ever really at ease, but seeming to be more comfortable with the fact that we are moving, Webb continues.
"Harm, Karen Lowne was with the Company but worked closely with DSD."
I stop in my tracks, turning on Webb. "Karen was DSD?" Alarm is evident in my voice.
"No, not technically. But she did work with many DSD agents."
"Including Clark Palmer, right?" My voice is as hard as steel, my eyes glitter with anger and barely repressed rage.
"Yes. In fact, Palmer was the agent Karen Lowne had the most interaction with. She and Palmer were...involved."
"By 'involved' you mean romantically?" I ask in complete shock.
"Yes. Karen Lowne and Clark Palmer dated for over a year. Then Karen went undercover for us in the Middle East. Somehow her cover was blown and she was held prisoner for eight months. It was after she came back and was evaluated, as all those who have been held hostage are, did we realize the extent of the trauma she went through. We were shocked that she could function at all, but we realized that the level of functioning she had retained left much to be desired. She was a shell of her former self. Those who knew her well before she was held prisoner say that she died in that prison camp. They say that the person who came back was nothing like the real Karen Lowne. The company tried for four months, giving Karen the best treatment possible. We tried everything we could, but she was unrecoverable-"
"Excuse me!" I was aghast, "Unrecoverable??? She was a person not some piece of furniture!"
"Rabb, I know that you find the way the company operates deplorable, but it is what I have to live with." Clay began to explain before I interrupted again.
"Huh! And how exactly can you do that, Clay? Live with it? I could never live with it."
"Listen, Harm. I don't agree with a lot of the policies that I have to work around, BUT I stay in it because I feel I can make a difference. If I can prevent another agent from ending up like Karen Lowne I will stay in as long as it takes! You can act as self righteous as you want, what I do I do for the same reasons you do what you do. We are both protecting our country, and our loved ones! Now we need to get back to the true focus here...Chloe and the person who has her."
I am still seething but I know the Clay is right, as despicable as I view the Company's methods I know the work their agent do really do a lot of good. I also know that those that work for them know what they are getting into from the start. I need to focus on Chloe, on Chloe and Mac.
"Okay Clay, so when will we know if Karen Lowne is really dead?"
"By morning, I will call you as soon as I know. Once we have that information we can decide how to proceed." Clay finishes and waits for my response.
My headache is coming back. "Okay, I will be waiting for your call. I assume you know about Chloe's message to me about the airfield and her phone call to me?"
"Yes, our DCPD contact has kept us on top of everything you have. In fact I would hazard to say I am better informed right now than you are." He smiles a sad smile and looks at me with compassion "Hey, Harm, you look tired, go see Mac. Maybe get an hour or two of sleep. There are a lot of good people on this case, we will work just as hard without you present as if you are present."
"Yeah, I know, but I just feel like I should be there."
"You should be with Mac. Go talk to her, be with her. After that eat, and if you refuse to sleep, at least go home, wash up and change. I will call you the minute we know anything."
"Thanks, Clay. Can I tell Bud, and Sturgis that you are on the job?"
"Don't use my name, but yeah you can let them know they aren't alone in this."
I extend my hand to shake Clay's, "I won't forget this Webb, ever."
"Don't get too sappy Rabb, it will ruin our images." With that parting jib he turns and walks away.
I need to go see my best friend.
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Unknown Forest
Chloe! I wake with a start. Where is Chloe? I have to help her, I have to find her. Where is she? I look around me, I am in a snow covered forest...no...no! I should be in a hospital, I was attacked, Chloe was attack! I have to help her.
I stand up and look for a path leading out of here. I have to find a way back to the hospital. Find a way back to Harm. He must be so worried, first Chloe disappears and now me. I have to get back to the hospital. I stop and press the palm of my hand against my forehead. Man, my head hurts.
"Mac I'm here."
I instantly come to an alert position. It sounded like Harm's voice, but very far away. Almost as if his voice is floating on the wind, teasing me.
"I know that you can hear me. I just--Sarah, please wake up."
"Harm! Harm, I'm here! Keep calling to me. I will follow your voice. Please Harm, answer me!!!"
"Sarah, listen to my voice, please come back to me. I am doing everything I can to find Chloe, but I need to know that you are going to be okay. It is killing me--"
I stumble toward the direction of his voice, calling out to him the entire time. I stumble and fall into the white expanse of snow. I try to get up but I can't escape the bright white. It is every where. Surrounding me, all I see is white. It seems to grow brighter, more brilliant. I shut my eyes against the pain it causes to look at the radiance of white. Even with my eyes shut the brightness comes through, as suddenly as the whiteness appeared it disappears as well. I cautiously try to open my eyes.
It feels like my eyelids each weigh twenty pounds. I can hear Harm's voice again, closer this time.
"It is killing me, knowing that I could lose both of you. I don't know what I will do if that happens. Oh, Mac, please wake up."
I slowly become aware of my body. I am lying in a bed, and by the beeping of the machines around me, I would hazard to guess that I am in a hospital. Strangely enough it feels 'right'. My eyes are threatening to fall shut again. I feel my arms lying by my sides, well my right one is...my left one is... well it isn't by my side. As awareness of my body continues to seep into my brain I realize that my left hand is encased in both of Harm's larger ones. I am struggling to convince my eyes to remain open as I turn my head toward the sound of his voice.
"Hey squid." I am shocked at the sound that should have been my voice. It is little more than a croaking whisper, but the reaction those two words produce warms me to my very soul. Harm looks up at me with the brightest smile I have ever seen on his face, and that is really saying something. The wattage from that one smile could power my apartment for a month. The look in his eyes makes me want to cry. He looks so tired and drained, yet with a determined stubborn resolve behind it.
"Mac--Sarah! You're awake! Thank you God!!!"
At this point I try to speak again and start coughing. Harm is instantly at the head of my bed, leaning over me in concern, pressing the nurse call button.
"Easy, relax. Don't try and talk. The doctor will be here in a little bit, just lay back and rest."
I stop coughing and lay here trying to catch my breath. Harm looks down, his eyes full of concern, as he reaches down brushing a stray bit of hair off my forehead. His eyes turn serious again as I see his mind start thinking. Now what could make Harm get that look in his eyes?
"Chloe!" I say it aloud even as I think it to myself. I try to sit up, but Harm puts a quick stop to that.
"Stop it right now Marine!" He uses his best command voice, and I automatically obey; years of training not giving me any other choice. "To answer your question, no we haven't found her...yet. But we are making a lot of great progress, we have really good leads, and the best people are working on it. Sturgis, and Bud are working with DCPD, and Webb is even helping. We feel confident that we are going to find her soon and that she will be okay. Relax, there is nothing we can do right now."
"We?" I am curious, surely Harm hasn't let himself be excluded from the investigation. Knowing my flyboy he was part of the investigation whether or not they wanted him to be.
"Yes, we. I received some good advice earlier tonight. I was told that I would do Chloe no good, if I was so exhausted I couldn't think clearly. So I came here to spend time with you and maybe catch a few hours of sleep before rescuing Chloe tomorrow." The last part is said with such a confident teasing grin I can't help but relax. "So you see, you are stuck with me for a little while, if that is alright with you?"
"No argument here." I really wish my voice was something more than a whisper.
"That's a first." Harm smiles down at me and moves to slide a hip onto the bed next to me when the doors open and the nurses and doctor come in.
"Oh boy" I think to myself, "Now comes the fun part, poking and prodding."
As they descend upon me I see Harm quietly slip out of the room to let them do what they had to do in private.
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I am a bad bad author! I am SO sorry it has taken this long. But the good news is this, I have a new job!!!! The bad news is this, I will be preparing to move and then moving in the next two months so writing time will be sporadic at best. Rest assured I will complete this story, I am thinking that it only has another six or so chapters anyway. I truly value ALL the reviews you guys give to me, SO KEEP 'EM COMING! :) The next chapter should be up with a week or so. By the way, if any of you are going to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky Ohio, you HAVE to go on the Dragster!!! It is the most incredible thing ever. Zero to 120 miles in 4 seconds!!!! 420 ft straight up the straight down!!!! It was...great---fantastic---wow, it was wow. (Can you all guess where I went on vacation?) Okay that is all. Oh and don't forget to review, it always helps authors write faster, as anyone who posts stories here can attest to. ;)
~Fiona
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