Somewhere in Riyadh
Liandra looked over at A.J. "How many hours do we have?"
"Just a little over 15 hours, if we don't get rescued." A.J. said as he looked out at the guards standing there. Mac didn't bother correcting him. She knew that despite her internal clock, this wasn't any time for humor.
Liandra was sitting beside Harm curled up in his arms. Mac looked contemplatively at them then turned back to AJ. "Somehow, I know Animal's looking for us."
"He's going to put himself in danger doing that." A.J. responded. "We all know that the State Department isn't going to do anything about it."
"I wouldn't count on Webb either." Mac replied, a bit of moisture collecting in the corners of her eyes. "I just miss Animal so much." She whispered, her soft admission full of longing.
AJ looked at her. Though he hadn't seen the courtship between Mac and Animal, he knew that the admiral thought of the Marine Lieutenant Colonel as his life and vice versa. When Liandra had taken up with the erstwhile ex-fighter pilot JAG lawyer, he knew that Harm and Lia would be inseparable. He snorted to himself. He was becoming an insufferable romantic.
Outside of "Somewhere in Riyadh"
Animal stood outside the house that the map had said was where they were holding Harm, Mac, Lia and A.J. He stood behind some trees and scouted out the building. A fire-team from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary unit was with them to augment his Aces and the SEAL Team involved.
"I see one sentry out by the fence." Animal said to the Marine Major who was looking through the binoculars at the sentries on the fenceline.
"There's two more by the front gate." The Marine Major looked at the admiral. "I think we can make it."
The Marines had brought crossbows as well as their M-16s. The first kills would be made with crossbow bolts to silence the cries of the sentries. Gunshots would alert the inside guards and would increase the chance that the hostages would be killed. The Marines, SEALs and Aces had maneuvered themselves so that all the guard positions would be silenced at the same time so the chance of them warning the inside guards would be considerably lessened. At a pre-arranged signal, the crossbow shots were fired and the guards seemed to slump over as one. No alarm was raised and Wild Bill set some C4 charges on the door and blew it. As one they raced inside, the shots ringing out. When the smoke cleared, the terrorists guarding the cage where the JAG attorneys and Judge Advocate General were being held were dead.
Mac looked up to see her husband looking at her. "Stand back, hon." He said as he raised his Beretta and fired it at the lock. Using his arm, he wrenched back on the door hard, which wasn't really necessary since the barred door sheared out of the secured pivot point being wrenched. Mac flung herself into her husband's arms – she wasn't one for public displays of affection, but in this case, it was certain that it could be excused. Tears flooded her eyes as she realized just how lucky they really were at being rescued.
"Oh, god, honey…" she sobbed, her face buried in his chest, her body shaking from the stress and terror of her imprisonment.
"We found you." he said. "Sarah, I wasn't going to stop looking." He said firmly looking into Mac's eyes.
"But this isn't finished yet." Metalman growled, giving voice to the thought of retribution against the Saudi admiral. "We gotta put Al-Fahid out of commission."
The Marines and the former hostages filed out of the building into their Humvees. Animal turned to Wild Bill, anger apparent in his voice as he gazed over the place where his wife and her friends had been imprisoned. "Place C4 charges around this building. I want the damned thing flattened." He growled. "Then we're going to find Al-Fahid and I'm going to put a C4 charge with detonator down his pants. Nobody messes with my wife and gets away with it." he snarled malevolently, his tone promising dire retribution to Al-Fahid.
When they were 500 yards away from the building, Wild Bill twisted the detonator. A loud explosion as smoke and flame wafted out of the building and then the building slowly imploded and crumbled to the ground.
Webb looked over at Animal. "Where do you think we'll find Al-Fahid? He may have fled." Animal looked over at Webb, a dangerous look crossing his face. He knew where Al-Fahid would be hiding and knowing the habits of that slimy weasel, he'd be in the most apparent place to be found.
RIYADH AIR BASE
RIYADH/KHALED
SAUDI ARABIA
"The Americans!" Al-Fahid growled. "They accessed my computer." He had come down to the tower to find the door blown off its hinges. "They have the hostages back." He looked around him in a panic. Where to find a way to get away? Not to mention, Bin Laden would probably send someone to finish him off wherever he chose to hide.
"You're done." Said a cold voice. Al-Fahid turned around to find himself looking down the muzzle of a Beretta. The cold voice belonged to an even colder looking visage. The Asian admiral held the Beretta on the Saudi admiral, his cold eyes bearing as much mercy as a great white shark on the hunt.
"It takes a big individual to kill a man in cold-blood." The Saudi admiral replied trying to allay his own fear that the admiral would just pull the trigger and be done with it.
"Just as it takes a big man to kidnap innocent people." The Asian admiral snarled, venom coloring his voice. Flipping the safety active on the Beretta he threw the Beretta back at his friends. "Let's settle this the man's way." He looked sardonically at the Saudi admiral. "Bare hands."
"To the death." Al-Fahid growled as he raised his fists.
"So be it." Animal snarled, his only reply to rock back on the balls of his feet.
Al-Fahid charged Animal only to get a knee to the gut. Animal double fisted a hard chop to Al-Fahid's back driving Al-Fahid to his knees, only to meet a fist to the stomach. Animal doubled over gasping. Al-Fahid drew up Animal's head and smashed a hard fist to the side of the face. Animal fired back an elbow to Al-Fahid's chest followed up by a rib-crushing straight-armed punch to the midsection. This wasn't any display of martial arts, this was just two men brutally beating each other. Animal delivered a boot sole with crushing impact to Al-Fahid's chest driving Al-Fahid back towards the desk. Al-Fahid countered with punches to Animal's side. Animal waded into the punches, taking them with ease and turned around delivering a shop to the side of the neck of Al-Fahid that drove him to his knees, then Animal delivered a low kick to the side of Al-Fahid's head that caused Al-Fahid's eyes to roll up and he slumped over, unconscious in a unceremonious heap on the dust covered floor.
"Cuff the sonovabitch, check him for weapons and take him into custody." Animal ordered. "He'll get an Sharia trial and when that's over, he'll get his just desserts."
C-141 Starlifter
Interior
Animal looked at Mac. "God, I missed you." he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her.
Mac looked back at Animal; a tender look crossing her features "I missed you too." she replied, her lips grazing his as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I'm sure Al Qaeda is breathing a collective sigh of relief."
"Why?" Animal asked.
"They wouldn't have to face you then." Mac said as she caressed his arm looking up at him with deep affection.
"Sarah, this is just going to be a redoubled effort on our part." Animal stated firmly. "The USS United States is going to be launching round the clock operations against suspected Al-Qaeda strongholds. We're going to find them and we're going to dig them out. They haven't faced my anger yet, but they're going to feel it now and they don't have the benefit of having a battle group at their beck and call, like I do. Let's see how they like a million tons of ordnance falling on their heads." Mac shook her head as she smiled at her husband. A Marine loved it when her Navy husband talked tough and considering that he could back it up. "And they'll learn not to mess with a battle-group commander's wife." He grinned.
"oh, you…" The Marine gave her Navy husband yet another kiss. "I love it when you talk tough, honey."
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie-Nakamura…" Animal teased her back. "And I can back it up with a carrier air wing, my dear." Animal turned to AJ, "Sir, permission to ask the JAG a question."
"Sure, go ahead, Admiral."
"Can we get the hell out of Saudi Arabia?" Animal asked pointedly.
"With all due haste." AJ agreed.
"I'd have to say, this vacation was a complete and utter bust."
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
TOWN SQUARE
2 months later
"It is the Sultan's order that this perpetrator be put to death." The executioner intoned. "The charge is attempted murder, kidnapping and consorting with terrorism as well as treason towards the Sultan."
"Does the accused have anything to say before sentence is carried out?" The executioner asked.
Al-Fahid looked up at the executioner with a stone countenance. He saw his death before him. The executioner secured Al-Fahid's neck with another sandbag. Then he stood straight, unsheathing a curved Arabic sword, "Let Justice Be Served. In'Sh'Allah!" he roared, as he flashed the sword in a sweeping arc. A gasp arose from the crowd as the stroke severed Al-Fahid's head from its neck.
Blood stained the sand around the site as arteries pumped out blood from a body that didn't know it was dead yet.
The Sultan decreed that all traitors would be fed to the dogs and thus the body of Al-Fahid found another use other than to consort with terrorists.
ZNN BROADCAST
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VA
"Today, the execution of Hamir Al-Fahid was carried out by Saudi authorities. Charged and convicted of attempted murder, kidnapping and treason, the former admiral was executed by beheading in the Saudi tradition."
Harm, Lia, A.J. and Mac looked up at the monitor. Animal was back at sea again, conducting strikes against Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan with his battle group. The rear-admiral (upper half) had fought a long battle with the CNO to get himself back out to sea though anybody two-star and above usually had a shore command. It was protracted due to the fact that the Joint Chiefs thought that anybody above one-star was a non-expendable resource.
Mac sighed remembering what a fiasco that trip was. "What a vacation that was. Though I could have done without being captured and imprisoned for a week."
Harm replied as he looked over at Lia and Mac. "No kidding. I think we owe your husband our lives."
Mac said. "And I'm sure he'd just say that he was only doing what normal husbands would do in trying to rescue their wives." She chuckled. "I think he still owes me a vacation in the Bahamas."
"Watch out for pirates." Harm grinned. Mac crumpled up a paper into a ball and threw it at him. "Well…you guys tend to get into trouble all the time." Harm protested the flung object.
"Thanks a lot." Mac grumbled giving him a cynical look. "If I recall correctly, it's you that attracts the trouble then my husband has to save us from it."
Lia looked at them and just said. "I'm just glad to have gotten out of there with our lives. And we certainly owe Animal for that."
Mac replied as she panned her gaze at Lia then Harm. "Sorry to change the subject but I've got a case to prepare for. I'm going." …as she made to go into her office.
Lia said. "So do I." and headed for her own office.
Harm looked over at Mac. "Tell your husband thanks for me, when he next communicates with you."
"I will, Harm." Mac replied quietly as she hoped for the best for her husband who was deployed. Mac went into her office and closed the door. On the desk was a letter. She smiled as she saw the return address "FPO USS United States." Animal's carrier. It was just a quick note scrawled in between busy periods, but it was a note written with all of Animal's love sent with it.
Hey, Lover,
Missing you lots. The carrier is busy as heck as am I. But I don't seem to be getting any flying time. We're busy trying to pound the bad guys back into the Stone Age. Can't wait to get back once our rotation is over. Maybe we can get to the Bahamas this time.
Love you lots,
Animal
Mac sighed remembering their homecoming.
Flashback
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE
Animal grumbled as he got his duffle bag off the Starlifter. "I'm glad to get out of the Middle East. I've got sand in cracks I didn't even know I had."
Harm chuckled. "Yeah. Sand seems to get everywhere, doesn't it."
"Webb make it back yet." Animal asked, not really caring about the spook. Maybe he got back, maybe he got caught by the Taliban and was being beaten to death as they spoke.
"Yeah, he's still nursing that broken nose you gave him. He's also complaining to everyone who'll listen." Harm chuckled at the thought of it. "Of course the JCS told him to go suck lemons."
"Well, he deserved it." Animal grunted, not really caring, the only thing he cared about was that his significant other and her friends were alive and safe.
"I think I want to head home and take a shower." Liandra said as she scratched a spot just below her shoulder. "I just feel absolutely grimy and disgusting."
"So do I…" amended Mac. "I need a nice long soak. Every bone in my body aches and I need to wash the sand out of my hair." She laughed softly seeing a grin cross Animal's face.
"Well, that clinches it." Animal said as he shot a look at his beloved. "We're out of here."
ANIMAL AND MAC'S HOME
RICHMOND, VA
"Hey, honey…" Animal grinned at his wife who was lounging in the tub soaking away all the aches and pains of that Saudi Arabian trip, her tips of her wet tresses caressing her shoulders "Feel better?"
"Not for about another couple hours." Mac replied sighing languorously giving Animal a loving glance. She was immersed happily in a bath full of bubbles, evidently soaking away all the sand and grime that had managed to get into every possible part of one's torso that it possibly could. A bath was so simple yet accomplished so much to make someone feel human again. "How soon are they going to ask you back out to the front?" Mac asked not wanting to hear the answer that her husband would probably be back out on the front line in the war in Afghanistan against the Taliban.
"I don't know about how soon, CINCLANT is going to want the battle group turned around and ready to go again. The hostage taking incident has made it necessary to go back out."
Mac sighed. "And just when I thought I had you back for a while." Her distress evident in her voice in such a way that Animal wanted to wrap her in his arms and take her pain away.
"Well…I don't know how long I'm going to be home for, that's going to be a day-by-day thing until I get orders, but I'm home for tonight." He looked at her with a meaningful glance.
Mac grinned at him, knowing exactly what she wanted. "Well, then aren't you a bit over-dressed? After all, we need to make efficient use of our time, shouldn't we?"
Animal grinned…and complied.
*********THE END**********