PART 13
The Next Day
1800 Zulu
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Harm looked over to find Mac staring out the window of his SUV. "Feels like forever, doesn't it?"
"I am scared to death, Harm." She said taking a deep breath as they headed towards the front gates. It was hard to leave the safety of the cabin, but they knew they had to. They had driven straight to headquarters and were both still in civvies. They were stopped at a waiting line in front of the gates.
Harm glanced over at the corporal who did a horrible job of checking the car in front of them. "That new corporal is horrible. . .he didn't even check the car in front of us."
"New corporal?" Mac said, realizing that she didn't know either of the guards.
Pulling out his pass, Harm lowered the window and presented it to the Marine. "Morning Corporal."
The guards, usually more friendly with the senior staff stood there without wavering. "Sir, I have orders not to let you into Headquarters. . . Both of you are to get out and put your hands on the vehicle."
Harm looked at him and chuckled softly. "You are kidding me right?"
The Marine moved his hand over to his service weapon and glared at Harm. "No sir . . .please do not give us any trouble . . We are authorized to use force if need be."
"Who authorized this? Corporal?" Mac said from the passenger's side, leaning over to Harm.
"I am not at liberty to say, Ma'am." He said and nodded over to another Marine who was making his way around the car.
"Get Admiral Chegwidden down here for me, Corporal. . .that's an order." Harm said in strong commanding voice.
He didn't even flinch. "Can't do that, sir. . . Now step out of the car."
Harm looked over at Mac who noticed another guard getting closer. He also noticed that neither of them had the right insignia. "Mac, they aren't Marines, look a the insignia. . . put on your seat belt, lock the door and hold on."
"Are you crazy?" She said looking at him with the deer-in the headlights look
Harm nodded and sighed. "Yes. . . Do it now."
"Harm. . .What are you going to do?" She looked around again, hoping to find a way out of the situation. When he didn't answer her, Mac looked over at him. "Get out and walk away, leave me here. . . I don't want to involve you."
"I don't care, damnit. . . I am not going to let something happen to you." He stared intently at her and reached over to buckle her up.
"Harm. . ." She said in a pleading voice that just cut his heart to shreds.
"Sarah. . ." He said softly as his eyes locked with hers. "I can't lose you again. . . I can't lose you." Harm's gaze fell towards the road ahead. "Now hold on." Slamming his foot on the gas, he did a quick and careful 180 and headed out the way that they came in.
Mac held on tight to the handle overhead as Harm did his best to speed out of Falls Church. "Harm!" She yelled in a warning tone as they barely missed a car that was turning.
"Sorry!" He yelled back and just pushed the accelerator harder. He drove them out of Falls Church. "And here they come." He said, watching the unmarked cars with sirens that followed close behind.
Turning around, she saw the two cars that were following turn into four. "We've got a couple more."
"Murder, treason, UA, aiding and abetting, harboring a fugitive, DDO, reckless endangerment." Harm looked over at her and grinned. "Am I missing anything?"
"D & D and you can add vehicular manslaughter if you don't keep your eyes on the road!" She yelled, holding tight to the seat as he took a sharp turn.
Harm motioned towards his glove compartment. "Mac, grab my cell phone and call the Admiral."
She nodded and grabbed the phone, calling JAG headquarters. "Damnit! This shit isn't working!"
Looking upward, Harm saw the helicopter that was now following their every move. "Great. . . Now we have a helo following us."
Mac turned around and saw a few more vehicles joining the chase. "And we apparently have every government agency in the world after us now."
"Oh, that's wonderful." He replied sarcastically before turning down a small road. "Try the cell phone again."
Mac nodded and tried again, this time finally connecting to JAG HQ. "Coates connect me to the Admiral. . . ASAP."
Coates walked into the Admiral's office. For the past few minutes, everyone had been bustling around due to the car chase that had happened around Falls Church. "Sir, Colonel MacKenzie on one."
AJ grabbed the phone. "Colonel, what the hell is going on?"
"We were coming in sir, but the guards at the gates weren't Marines, they are chasing us now, sir. . ." She looked over at Harm who was concentrating on weaving through traffic without hurting anyone.
AJ nodded. "Colonel, I spoke to Kershaw . . . Van Dyne and about five other agents went rogue and are trying to get the diamonds back. . . They are. . ."
"Sir? Sir?" Mac said, whacking the back of the phone. "Damnit! The phone died." Mac said tossing the phone back into the glove compartment.
"What did he say?"
Mac sighed. "Van Dyne and some other agents are trying to get the diamonds. . . Chegwidden spoke to Kershaw."
Just as Harm headed into a densely populated area, the men following, shot off a few rounds. One shattered the rear window. "Get DOWN, Mac."
Then came another shot that hit the rear passenger's side tire. Harm managed to keep control of the SUV but a patch of slick surface on the road had the car spinning out of control and down into a ditch on the side of the road. "Hold on Mac!" Harm yelled as the car sailed downward and into a wooded area before coming to a hard stop against a tree.
"Harm?" Mac said looking over at her partner who's head was leaking blood. The windshield had broken and some of the pieces had cut his forehead.
"Yea." He said in a loud groan. "Can you move?"
Mac heard the sirens and knew they didn't have much time to get away. "Yea, and we gotta keep moving, I hear the sirens."
He nodded and both of them managed to make it out by way of the driver's side window. Stumbling away from the car, Harm and Mac made it down farther into the wooded area. "I can't run, Mac." He said, leaning up against a tree. His knee was giving him problems moving. "It's the knee I injured when I punched out."
Mac nodded and wrapped an arm around his waist, helping him out as much as possible. "Let's go, flyboy."
"No, they want you not me." He said, standing his ground and not allowing for her to take on his weight.
Mac looked up at him and took a deep breath. "I am not leaving you here. ."
"Don't move, either of you." Turning around, Mac saw a gun trained on them. It was one of the "Marines" that had stopped them from entering JAG HQ.
Mac looked at Harm and then at the man holding the gun. "Let my partner go. He doesn't know anything. It's me you want."
Training the gun on Harm, the man made it closer to them. His gaze went between the two of them as a smirk appeared on his lips. He was enjoying this. "Say goodbye to your boyfriend." He pulled the trigger and watched Harm cringe. But, nothing happened, there were no bullets left. It didn't matter, in the same instant, Mac pulled out her service weapon and shot the man directly in his chest. She watched him fall to the ground, holding his chest.
Turning around, she saw Harm's eyes go wide with shock. Everything from then on happened in slow motion. Another shot was fired and Mac used her body to shield Harm's. The shot connected with Mac's shoulder and brought her against Harm's chest. He managed to hold onto her, watching the look of horror and pain in her eyes as she looked up into his own. Then came another shot and yet one more. Then there was silence.