A Little Lower Than The Angels

Chapter 6

Disclaimers: As previously stated

Spoilers: Any episode up to Season 8. The episodes 'Lawyers, Guns and Money' and 'Pas de Duex' will be the focus of this chapter. The sequence of events may not occur in the same order or have the same result as in the original episodes; you may also see that some events have been left out entirely, ahhh the beauty of fanfic…..

A/N: Any mistakes are mine.

Rating K

2035

Friday

April 25, 2003

American Airlines flight 632

Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.

Mac sat back in her seat, resting her hand on her 'baby' and closing her eyes. She had been surreptitiously studying the information Webb had given her. What she had learned would have to be enough to convince Raul Garcia, their terror target Sadiq Fahd's middleman that she was indeed, the diamond expert that she claimed to be. As she rested her eyes and for a moment, her mind, her thoughts went back to her farewell with Harm earlier that evening.

She could still see him standing in the doorway of his apartment. His eyes, again, imploring her not to go on this mission. Mac teased him and told him wasn't playing fair. She had walked back to him and kissed him again. Harm told her "I will use any means at my disposal 'colonel' to accomplish my mission."

He had pulled her back into his embrace, pregnancy suit and all, and kissed her in a way that literally made walking away difficult. Mac smiled as she thought of it.

"Happy dreams, darling?" Webb's voice broke into her private reverie.

"As a matter of fact, yes." She looked at him, her smile still in place.

"Care to share?" He placed his hand casually at the middle of her thigh.

"No." and under her breath she calmly told him. "And if you don't move your hand 'dear' I will have to demonstrate one of my many hormonal mood swings and hurt you."

"Just showing a little affection 'honey'" He grinned at her, teasing.

"Don't push your luck." Mac kept her voice was barely audible, but her intent was clear. Mr. and Mrs. Williams finished their trip in what looked like, companionable, silence.

1640

Sunday

April 27, 2003

Road to Ciudad Del Este

Paraguay

Mac walked determinedly down the road with Webb walking fast, to keep up. The last two days had been 'enlightening' to say the least. Webb had just killed their bodyguard Avarro, demonstrating that while it might be true that Webb didn't trust himself, he apparently didn't trust anyone else, either. They had just narrowly escaped being killed by Raul Garcia; they had lived only because Webb had made him an offer of weapons that Garcia could sell undoubtedly to terrorists for drugs. This would complete the circle of diamonds for weapons for uncut cocaine. Mac had also just learned that Webb had included Gunny in his operation.

"If we're Gunny's back up, who is backing us up?" Webb had revealed, after she had seen him during their meeting with Garcia that he had Gunny assigned to him TAD.

"You'll just have to trust me, maybe it will be someone from JAG, Chegwidden won't allow you to be left behind."

Mac stopped and spun around, incredulous. "What?'

"Rabb will probably come, even if he has to come on his own. I seriously doubt there will ever be point in time that either of you are in a bind that the other won't materialize, no matter what the circumstance." Webb smirked sarcastically. "I knew that if this mission was compromised and if we disappear, the Company may not look for me, but Rabb would go to the ends of earth to find you."

She shook her head "He could be killed in the process Webb."

"Nah, not Rabb, he always lands on his feet."

"Damn you Clay, you're an ass, do you know that?" His attitude and arrogance were making her furious. She felt as though he were playing with them both.

"Hate me if you like, call me whatever you want, I don't care. I'm a spook, I have a job to do and if I don't accomplish my mission, people die. I told you a battle group was at risk that was no lie. Do you want the deaths of every one in that battle group on your head? There are also suspicions that this group could have connections in the United States, do you want to be responsible for allowing those Stingers to be used against us… on American soil? Sadiq Fahd has been linked to attacks against Americans as far back as 1983; we've never been this close to getting him and stopping his operation. I'll do what I have to do.

Mac glanced over, still looking hard at Webb.

"Mac, I will use whatever means I have at my disposal to accomplish this mission."

"It would be great if you would just trust me enough to tell me what's going on. I'm tired of getting my information piecemeal, I feel as though I'm working in the dark." Mac waited and Webb only looked at her his smug smile, ever in place. Mac had enough. "I'm going back to Washington, I was warned about this, and I should have listened."

She walked away from him and then stopped and looked back at him. He had planned this perfectly; he knew she wouldn't leave Gunny.

Webb seemed to have read her mind, he smiled sardonically and kept walking toward her, he passed her and tossed over her shoulder, "are you coming?"

She immediately thought of Harm and what he had said, just before she left him. She had to fight hard within herself, not to dwell on how safe she felt in his arms, about how foolish it had been to think Webb could be straight with them…about anything. She shook of the anger and the sense of betrayal she felt, she knew had to keep her head clear; they had to get to Gunny, get him out and then 'she' had to get out of here…somehow.

2340

Sunday

April 27, 2003

Sadiq Fahd's compound

Chaco Boreal, Paraguay

Mac lay on her back on the hard mattress in Sadiq Fahd's makeshift prison, listening as she heard the footsteps of men she knew were coming for her and Webb. It would only be a matter of minutes. Everything, since the Predator strike on Raul Garcia's hacienda, had gone wrong. Gunny had been taken; she and Webb had tried to rescue him. They had nearly succeeded, though the Chief of Station in Ciudad Del Este, Edward Hardy, had refused to send any assistance with them. He had said they didn't have enough 'intel' to justify it. They were, all three, going to make it, until she saw Gunny go down, just before a hand grenade had been thrown beneath their SUV. The blast itself had knocked her unconscious; she had awakened just moments ago.

Webb looked at her and whispered. "I'll try and keep them from you as long as I can, escape if you can, don't worry about me. We've gotten Garcia, contact Deputy Director Kershaw tell him, do not go through Hardy, we have to get the Stingers, Gunny said they were moving them."

"We had to have been betrayed Clay."

Webb only nodded in the affirmative as two armed gunmen kicked the door open. "Williams, Come." They spoke in heavily accented English.

Webb stood and looked back at Mac. "I'm sorry….Jane"

0845

Monday

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Harm walked through the glass doors into JAG Ops; he glanced across the bullpen to see Petty Officer Coates approaching. "Any coffee left Petty Officer?"

"I'm not sure…sir" She noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days.

"Put some on… make it High Test." His look emphasizing that he needed a strong pot of coffee.

"Yes, sir." She headed for the break room but glanced worriedly over her shoulder.

A few minutes later Petty Officer Coates brought the Commander's coffee.

"Coates, ask the Admiral if I can see him….as soon as he is available."

"Yes, sir" Coates was still eyeing him curiously, but she knew better than to ask

"Close the hatch, Petty Officer."

Harm picked up his coffee cup and raising it to his lips, remembered the terrible dream he had about Mac, the night before. He had dreamt she and Webb had been betrayed in their mission, and he saw them both murdered. Harm sat his coffee cup down and closed his eyes, squeezing them tight to banish the vision from his minds eye. There had to be a way he could reach them, he had to know…. he had to find out if they were all right.

He berated himself, as he had since waking from his nightmare, last night. This mission came so quickly on the heels of his ordeal with NCIS; he was still reeling from his time in the brig. He should have insisted he be allowed to accompany them, it didn't matter in what capacity. Picking up his coffee cup from the desk and taking a deep drink, he turned his chair to face the window. Then the thought occurred to him….

Maybe there was someone who could help him locate her.

At that same moment….

Admiral Chegwidden sat at his desk with the phone to his ear, listening intently to the SecNav on the other end of the line.

"I see…..yes, sir. I understand. I understand how vital this mission is…"

The Admiral was becoming impatient but reining it in very well.

"But if I may sir, it seems to me that I've allowed one of my people to, once again, volunteer to walk into a hornets nest."

The SecNav tried to reassure and humor him. "We've been over this before. She was the best person for this mission, her language skills and the fact that she was a Marine made her a perfect fit. Face it, AJ; you're the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, who happens to also be a SEAL. You have a team of 'combat lawyers.' They have always been counted on to accomplish their mission, in or out of the courtroom. You have to know that we will tap them now and again, should it suit our purposes."

'That may be true sir, but the mission is much easier and involves much less risk, when the parties carrying out the mission aren't in the dark." The Admiral was unable to keep the edge out of his voice.

"I will contact Deputy Director Kershaw; he may contact you or update you on their status through me. I understand your concerns AJ; let me see what I can accomplish, from my end."

"Thank you, sir."

The admiral ended the call.

Just then Petty Officer Coates buzzed his office, "Sir?"

"Yes Petty Officer."

"Commander Rabb has requested a few moments of your time, when you are available."

The Admiral shook his head. "Tell him I'll get back with him…. later today."

This was going to be a long day.

1530

Outside Admiral Chegwidden's office

Harm stepped up to Petty Officer Coates desk. "Tell the Admiral I'd like to see him, Petty Officer."

He had been waiting all day, he had spoken with Catherine Gale at Langley, to no avail. She sympathized with him, spoke of her admiration of Colonel Mackenzie, but could only say she would pass her concerns on to her superiors.

Coates did as she was asked and Commander Rabb was allowed to see the Admiral.

"Sir, I was hoping you might have some idea about the Colonel's whereabouts."

"I just got off of the phone with Deputy Director Kershaw. The Station Chief at Ciudad, Del Este is reporting that Colonel Mackenzie is missing somewhere in the hinterlands of the Chaco Boreal."

"If Webb has gotten her killed…" He had known something had gone wrong with the mission. He could feel it.

"You know she's with Agent Webb?"

"I know he sweet talked her into accompanying him on a mission as his pregnant wife…She's not….is she dead?" She couldn't be. He could not fathom it. He covered his eyes with his hand and turned away from the Admiral.

"We have no way of knowing"

"What about Webb?' Harm's voice was harsh with retrained anger. At this moment, he thought if Webb made it through the mission, and had gotten Mac killed in the process, he'd kill Webb, himself.

"If Mac has been killed, its likely Webb was too."

Harm started to speak and the Admiral cut him off. "No" he said firmly.

"But I haven't even asked."

"You cannot go down there, I already have one senior attorney mixed up in a Company mission, I'm not sending another…."

'That's not acceptable." Harm didn't let the Admiral finish, he didn't see that the Admiral was as frustrated with this situation as he was.

The Admiral drew his brow down. "Excuse me Commander?" He stepped in front of him, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"It's not acceptable sir, its Mac, I can't leave her…we can't leave her…" Jesus, he was barely hanging on to his control, even the thought that she might be lost to him forever, was unbearable. "I can't just sit up here and do nothing, sir"

"Do I need to remind you that you have just returned from the Brig? That you barely escaped imprisonment at Leavenworth for life? There is no JAG business in Paraguay, I cant justify sending you down there."

"Then I request emergency leave, sir." Harm didn't even acknowledge what the Admiral said, he could only think of Mac and that he had to get to her, no matter what it took.

"Denied. Commander, you're not making sense. You've already damn near scuttled your career, now this. You're making it impossible to help you. I cannot in clear conscience send you into a mission that has already been compromised. I am in touch with Deputy Director Kershaw…

"Then I quit, sir. Consider my commission resigned and my status terminal leave. The paperwork will be on your desk within the hour." He couldn't listen to any more of this; he knew deep down that Mac was in terrible danger, what he had just learned, confirmed that. He couldn't believe that the Admiral wouldn't even consider allowing him to go. No matter, he thought, he would get there and he would find them, he'd find a way. He had been offered a job with the Company once; he decided he would pay the people at Langley a visit, as soon as he tendered his resignation.

"Do what you have to do." Suddenly he was tired of fighting Rabb to keep him from ruining his career. If he didn't value it, why should he? "You're dismissed."

As Harm walked out the door of his office the Admiral stopped him and asked. "Commander you're about to give up your career and possibly your life to save her. What if you succeed, what are you willing to do keep her?"

Harm turned back and looked at the Admiral directly. "I have every intention of keeping her, sir. I'll do whatever it takes."

He turned again, and walked out of the Admirals office.

0930

Tuesday

Sadiq Fahd's compound

Chaco Boreal, Paraguay

Mac was awakened by the sound of the door being opened. The two men who had taken Webb last night had returned him. This was his second night in a row of torture.

Mac called to him, 'Darling,' in her role as Mrs. Williams.

"Hello sweetheart." He said brokenly as Mac helped him to the bed.

Webb's face was a swollen mass of blood red cuts and he smelled of burning flesh. If she had not known him, she would never have recognized him. She looked to the closed door to their quarters and the window beyond, trying to see if their captors were listening to them. "My god….I knew it would be bad, but I didn't expect this."

He looked at her, his eyes eerily blue against the red of the skin around his eyes. "Mac, I'm so sorry…I never, I didn't believe it would go this far."

"I know, I know, and stop apologizing, I volunteered for this, remember?" She tried to stroke his head, but there was no where to touch him that wasn't broken or bruised. She reached for his hand and his fingernails had been plucked out, some of his fingers were crooked, as though they had been broken.

"Mac, if we get out of here, I swear…" He was short of breath and it was obvious that he was struggling with the pain, even now. All of the arrogance and acerbic wit was absent from his demeanor now. He was giving up, something she had never seen him do; in all the years she had known him. Surely he wouldn't give up now, and leave her alone, he had to hang on.

"Not 'if' Clay, when."

Now, she hoped with all her heart that Harm was coming, as Webb had believed, that he would not allow them to be forgotten, in spite of the risk. The thought of Harm was all that was getting her through this. She couldn't believe that the Fates could be so cruel as to separate them when they had finally acknowledged their feelings for each other. "Rest…we'll get out of here, someone will come. Maybe Gunny got away."

She felt Webb's body go slack as he slipped out of consciousness; his exhaustion had finally overtaken his pain. She laid him out on the bed, hoping he could rest and somehow recover enough to get away, once they were rescued. She refused to believe that someone wouldn't come.

She walked to the screened window and looked out, thinking she heard someone speaking, in English. She heard a man speaking, through the window of the building adjacent to theirs. "Karla, I'll read our devotions today."

Mac thought they must be the missionaries who had been missing from the Chaco Boreal for over a month. Warren and Karla Robinson.

She heard the man begin to read:

"For what is a man that You are mindful of him

or the son of man that You take care of him?

You have made him a little lower than the angels:

You have crowned him with glory and honor,

And set him over the works of your hands.

You have put all things in subjection under his feet."

Mac heard the verse and it moved her nearly to tears. She remembered Harm and what he said when she asked him if he thought she needed a guardian angel.

She spoke aloud, as though it were a prayer. "Harm… I need… you."

TBC

A/N: I used the term 'combat lawyers' in this chapter. I first read that term used in reference to the 'team' at JAG in the fanfic, 'Sail Away' by Valerie Jones. I thought it was a pretty apt description of the Admirals staff at JAG Ops. (grin)

A/N: I didn't use AJ and Meredith's engagement or Harm's silly fake marriage to Catherine Gale in this story. I thought both B stories were aggravating, with everything that was going on in the Chaco Boreal. I'm not trying to turn this into a discussion; I just wanted to explain why I didn't mention those two things.